Our football match prediction:
Portugal
Match Time & Date:
20/06/2018
13:00 GMT
Prediction: 2-1
Morocco
Thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s late goal Portugal played out a 3-3 draw with Spain in the opening match of their 2018 World Cup campaign. A Selecao showed character in the first group game, but they need to continue with fine performances if they are to make it to the knockout stages of the showpiece tournament. CR7, who scored a hat-trick in the opener, will be the man to watch in Fernando Santos’ team and we predict that he is going to prove a handful for the opposition defenders. Morocco, on the other hand, were on the verge of playing out a goalless draw with Iran in their opener, but they eventually scored a late own goal in the dying minutes of the match. The Moroccans must be low on confidence ahead of Wednesday’s football game, which is the main reason why we are tempted to put our money on the European champions.
Highlighted Player (Pepe):
Pepe is a professional footballer who plays for Real Madrid as a defender. The Portuguese international played for Maritimo at the start of his senior career and in 2004 he moved to Porto. After making 64 league appearances for the Dragons, he signed a contract with Real Madrid in 2007 and he quickly established himself as a first-team regular. Pepe is well known for his hard tackles and referees often show him red card. The Real Madrid centre back often played as a defensive midfielder under Jose Mourinho and it has to be noted that he scored five goals in all competitions in the 2013/2014 La Liga campaign. The Portuguese footballer won his second Champions League trophy with Real Madrid in the 2015/2016 season and later in 2016 he helped A Selecao win the European Championship trophy. Portugal defeated France in the title game and Pepe played an important role in Fernando Santos’ team in the Euro 2016 final. The Real Madrid defender was born in Maceio, Brazil on 26 February, 1983.
Highlighted Team (Morocco):
Morocco, the Atlas Lions, are the first African team to win a group at the World Cup finals. Back in 1986 the team managed to finish the group stages above Portugal, Poland and England, but West Germany proved to be a big catch for the Moroccan national team in the last 16 of the tournament. The Atlas Lions participated at the World Cup finals on four occasions, but winning of the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations is considered the team’s biggest success. Morocco were producing outstanding displays at the tournament in Ethiopia and it has to be noted that they defeated Guinea in the title game. Morocco play their home games at Stade Adrar and Stade de Marrakech and they wear red shirts and green shorts when playing in front of home fans. A number of top-class footballers played for Morocco in the past, but Mustapha Hadji is certainly the biggest star who played for the Moroccan national team.
