Jun 29, 2026 2:06 PM

Netherlands meet Morocco in a high-stakes knockout clash full of firepower and the potential for an absolute thriller for the neutral in this round of 32 fixture.

Who will win?

Netherlands
66.67%
2 users
Morocco
33.33%
1 User

Group F table toppers, the Netherlands are all set to face-off against Morocco who finished second in Group C in what is looking like a mouth watering fixture. 

The Oranje blitzed through the group stage, scoring ten goals with a rejuvenated Brian Brobbey smashing down the door and bullying defences. 

The Atlas Lions also thoroughly impressed in their group stage performances, with a scintillating display against Brazil, and were unlucky not to score more in their games against the Seleção and Scotland.

Both sides are capable of advancing very deep in the tournament, and this fixture would be befitting of a semi-final. However, one side will go home very disappointed with an early exit. 

Team news

Major concerns were leading up to this fixture in the Netherlands camp. Denzel Dumfries and Brobbey have been absolutely critical for the way Ronald Koeman's side has played. 

Both were carrying slight knocks and were potential doubts to play. However, they have been deemed fit and ready to start against Morocco. 

Due to a personal tragedy at home, Cody Gakpo was a potential doubt. But he has confirmed his availability for the Netherlands. 

While the rest of the team is ready to take on the Atlas Lions, Mickey van De Ven is expected to return to the line-up in place of Nathan Aké as the only change from the win against Tunisia. 

After resting many of their stars against Haiti, the likes of Ayyoub Bouaddi, Azzedine Ounahi and Noussair Mazaroui are expected to return to the side. 

Other than that, everyone is expected to be fit and firing to take on the Netherlands. 

Predictions

As mentioned earlier, this has the potential to be an absolute thriller of a fixture, with the battle of Brobbey at one end and Ismael Saibari for Morocco up front will be an intriguing battle.  

You have Brobbey with three goals in two games, and he has arguably been the best striker so far in terms of blitzing through defenders, hold-up play and more importantly, his movement has caused chaos for defences.  

Meanwhile, you have Saibari in a false-nine position, helping overload the midfield, but also because of his movement, making it difficult to track him as he pops up in all areas of the attack. 

Normally in these kinds of games, the midfield battle is often the most important, and the way Atlas Lions try to pack the area could be a big problem for the Oranje.

However, the most important players in this fixture will be how the full-backs play. Both sets of full-backs love to either bomb down the wing or invert into midfield. It is imperative that as much as they go forward, they track back, as with the firepower going forward, they can easily be punished. 

Prediction: Netherlands 3 - 2 Morocco 

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