After a scintillating round of 32 full of goals and upsets, Canada and Morocco are set to mark the start of the round of 16 at the Houston Stadium.

Canada reached the round of 16 for the first time in their history thanks to a dramatic injury-time winner against South Africa scored by Stephan Eustaquio to keep the host nation's dreams alive. 

Morocco continued this World Cup's theme of drama. An injury-time equaliser by Issa Diop sent the game against the Netherlands to injury time as the Atlas Lions eventually won on penalties. 

Canada will aim to continue making history and dream of a deep run in the World Cup, while Morocco will seek a statement victory as they look to improve on their semi-final finish in 2022. 

Given the serious injuries to Marcelo Flores before the World Cup started, Ismael Kone's injury against Qatar, and the fact that Alphonso Davies has barely played, it's amazing to think Canada have come.  

The big positive for Jesse Marsch's side was the return of their star man, Davies, to the field, as he played 15 minutes against South Africa. This was his first international appearance since March 2025.

Marsch did not rule out starting the Bayern Munich man, but appears to be keeping his cards close to his chest. If he decides against risking his star man, Richie Lareya is likely to continue at left-back.

As for the rest of the side, there are no other injury concerns. The main debate will be who plays alongside Jonathan David up front. Tani Oluwaseyi and Cyle Larin have both shared the starting spot throughout the tournament. With Oluwaseyi playing last time out, it's expected he will continue to play.

As for Morocco, Mohamed Ouahbi is expected to go with the same line-up that got his side across the line against the Netherlands. 

The only doubt was Chadi Riad, who came off injured against the Oranje in the 75th minute. However, it was seen as just a knock and a precautionary substitution, and the player was involved in the training sessions leading up to this tie. 

The host nation does have a serious chance of disrupting the well-oiled machine of Morocco. So, the Atlas Lions have not played sides that have gone toe-to-toe with them in terms of aggression and quality. It was arguably Haiti that caused them the most issues defensively.   

Marsch has already publicly declared that they will not change how they play and will go for it against Morocco. This is the exact mentality they need, as in recent times, sitting back against Morocco only works in their favour. 

They will need David and whoever plays alongside him to be at their clinical best should the ball get to them in the box. 

However, with that being side the overall quality of Morocco could be a step too far for this Canada side. Against Switzerland, the Cannucks could have lost by much more if it was not for their poor finishing.

Ismael Saibari, fresh off his move to Bayern Munich, has been one of the best players of the tournament, and with three goals as well as scoring the winning penalty, his confidence will be sky high.  

His false-nine position has also caused mayhem for defences as he has popepd up in all areas of the pitch. Often drifting to the left, he also pops up and joins the midfield to overload the centre of the pitch and make it easier for his side to cut through the opponents.

Ayyoub Bouaddi has also taken this tournament by storm and dictated the tempo of every game, especially against Brazil and the Netherlands. With the full-backs often bombarding forward, they attack in huge numbers. This is where Canada could have opportunities to hit them on the counter. 

With the way both sides play, tehre is the potential for alot of goals. 

Prediction: 3-1