Belgium scraped to victory against Canada in their World Cup opener, but they will need a much-improved performance against Morocco if they are to wrap up Group F.
Red Devils boss Roberto Martinez was critical of his team’s performance in the opening game, as Canada took control of the first half and Belgium struggled to flow.Â
Morocco, meanwhile, will go in search of their first goal at the 2022 World Cup after a 0-0 draw against Croatia that was low on entertainment. The likes of Hakim Ziyech will be looking to expose Belgium’s ageing backline to earn it.Â
Below are the projected lineups for both teams based on the latest news leading up to the match.
MORE: How to watch Belgium vs. Morocco
Belgium vs Morocco lineups
The fitness of Romelu Lukaku is the primary concern for Belgium, but Martinez is encouraged by the Inter Milan powerhouse’s progress.Â
The Red Devils coach revealed Lukaku had returned to group training ahead of the match, and that “the signs are good.”Â
“I don’t expect him to be involved [against Morocco], unless something goes extremely well. He would not be 100 per cent,” Martinez added.Â
Michy Batshuayi is the primary candidate to start in attack again, after scoring the winner against Canada. However, the former Chelsea star’s overall performance will have left fans back home concerned.Â
Below are the projected starting lineups for both teams ahead of their match Al Thumama Stadium on November 27.
Belgium projected starting 11
(3-4-3, right to left): 1. Courtois (GK) — 2. Alderweireld, 5. Vertonghen, 16. Dendoncker — 21. Castagne, 8. Tielemans, 6. Witsel, 15. Meunier — 7. De Bruyne, 23. Batshuayi, 10. E. Hazard
- Injured: Lukaku
- Suspended:
Thomas Meunier could return to the starting lineup against Morocco. Yannick Carrasco was run ragged at wing-back for 45 minutes against Canada, and was replaced by the Borussia Dortmund star at half-time.
Meunier is recovering from a fractured cheekbone and will continue to wear a face mask.
Everton’s Amadou Onana impressed in his substitute appearance against Les Rouges, but Martinez will likely prefer to stick with Youri Tielemans.Â
Morocco projected starting 11
(4-3-3, right to left): 1. Bounou (GK) — 2. Hakimi, 5. Aguerd, 6. Saiss, 25. Attiyat Allah — 8. Ounahi, 4. Amrabat, 15. Amallah — 7. Ziyech, 19. En-Nesyri, 17. Boufal
- Injured:Â Mazraoui
- Suspended:
Morocco came out of their goalless draw with Croatia bruised. Noussair Mazraoui had to leave the field on a stretcher, and will be unavailable for this match. Yahia Attiyat Allah will likely replace him.Â
However, coach Walid Regragui’s biggest headache is Achraf Hakimi, who picked up a thigh problem against Croatia.
The PSG speedster played all 90 minutes of the match, but is a doubt for the Belgium game. Regragui must decide whether to risk Hakimi in this crucial fixture.
Belgium vs Morocco World Cup squads
Here are the names on Belgium and Morocco’s World Cup squads in Qatar (caps correct as of start of Qatar 2022):
BelgiumÂ
| Position | No.1 | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | 1 | Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid (SPA) | 30 | 97 |
| GK | 12 | Simon Mignolet | Club Brugge (BEL) | 34 | 35 |
| GK | 13 | Koen Casteels | Wolfsburg (GER) | 30 | 4 |
| DEF | 2 | Toby Alderweireld | Royal Antwerp (BEL) | 33 | 124 |
| DEF | 3 | Arthur Theate | Stade Rennes (FRA) | 22 | 4 |
| DEF | 4 | Wout Faes | Leicester City (ENG) | 24 | 1 |
| DEF | 5 | Jan Vertonghen | Anderlecht (BEL) | 35 | 142 |
| DEF | 26 | Zeno Debast | Anderlecht (BEL) | 18 | 3 |
| DEF | 19 | Leander Dendoncker | Aston Villa (ENG) | 27 | 29 |
| MID | 21 | Timothy Castagne | Leicester City (ENG) | 26 | 26 |
| MID | 15 | Thomas Meunier | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 31 | 59 |
| MID | 7 | Kevin De Bruyne | Man City (ENG) | 31 | 94 |
| MID | 20 | Hans Vanaken | Club Brugge (BEL) | 30 | 23 |
| MID | 8 | Youri Tielemans | Leicester City (ENG) | 25 | 55 |
| MID | 18 | Amadou Onana | Everton (ENG) | 21 | 2 |
| MID | 6 | Axel Witsel | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 33 | 127 |
| MID | 16 | Thorgan Hazard | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 29 | 45 |
| FWD | 9 | Romelu Lukaku | Inter Milan (ITA) | 29 | 102 |
| FWD | 23 | Michy Batshuayi | Fenerbahce (TUR) | 29 | 48 |
| FWD | 14 | Dries Mertens | Galatasaray (TUR) | 35 | 107 |
| FWD | 22 | Charles de Ketelaere | AC Milan (ITA) | 21 | 10 |
| FWD | 11 | Yannick Carrasco | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 29 | 60 |
| FWD | 10 | Eden Hazard | Real Madrid (SPA) | 31 | 123 |
| FWD | 17 | Leandro Trossard | Brighton (ENG) | 27 | 21 |
| FWD | 24 | Lois Openda | Lens (FRA) | 22 | 5 |
| FWD | 25 | Jeremy Doku | Stade Rennes (FRA) | 20 | 11 |
Morocco
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Yassine Bono | Sevilla (SPA) | 31 | 45 |
| Goalkeeper | Munir | Al Wehda (KSA) | 33 | 43 |
| Goalkeeper | Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti | Wydad (MOR) | 26 | 3 |
| Defender | Achraf Hakimi | PSG (FRA) | 24 | 53 |
| Defender | Noussair Mazraoui | Bayern Munich (GER) | 24 | 14 |
| Defender | Romain Saiss | Besiktas (TUR) | 32 | 65 |
| Defender | Nayef Aguerd | West Ham (ENG) | 26 | 21 |
| Defender | Achraf Dari | Brest (FRA) | 23 | 4 |
| Defender | Jawad El-Yamiq | Valladolid (SPA) | 30 | 11 |
| Defender | Yahi Attain-Allal | Wydad (MOR) | 27 | 1 |
| Defender | Badr Benoun | Qatar SC (QAT) | 29 | 3 |
| Midfielder | Sofyan Amrabat | Fiorentina (ITA) | 26 | 38 |
| Midfielder | Selim Ramallah | Standard Liege (BEL) | 25 | 23 |
| Midfielder | Abdelhamid Sabiri | Sampdoria (ITA) | 25 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Azzedine Ounahi | Angers (FRA) | 22 | 9 |
| Midfielder | Bilel El Khanouss | Genk (BEL) | 18 | 0 |
| Midfielder | Yahya Jabrane | Wydad (MOR) | 31 | 4 |
| Forward | Hakim Ziyech | Chelsea (ENG) | 24 | 42 |
| Forward | Youssef En-Nesyri | Sevilla (SPA) | 25 | 49 |
| Forward | Sofiane Boufal | Angers (FRA) | 29 | 31 |
| Forward | Zaharia Aboukhlal | Toulouse (FRA) | 22 | 12 |
| Forward | EZ Abde | Osasuna (SPA) | 20 | 1 |
| Forward | Anass Zaroury | Burnley (ENG) | 22 | 0 |
| Forward | Ilias Chair | QPR (ENG) | 25 | 10 |
| Forward | Abderrazak Hamdallah | Al Ittihad (KSA) | 31 | 17 |
| Forward | Walid Cheddira | Bari (ITA) | 24 | 2 |
Credit: sportingnews.com