Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal will be eyeing their first win of the competition when they take on Morocco in the third game of Group B of FIFA World Cup 2018.
Portugal made a stunning start to the campaign. Their talisman captain, Ronaldo gave a performance that deserved to come in a winning cause, but Portugal would be happy to salvage a thrilling 3-3 draw against 2010 champions Spain.
Portugal had conceded their lead twice and looked set for a heartbreaking loss after a Nacho goal gave Spain 3-2 lead just before the hour mark.
However, Ronaldo struck a stunning free-kick deep in the game to leave the world gasping for breath at the FIFA World Cup 2018.
Morocco, on the other hand, made a heartbreaking start to their campaign. The African country lost 1-0 to Iran due to a late Aziz Bouhaddouz own goal.
With Spain and Portugal very much likely to make it to the next stage, a defeat in this game will end Morocco’s journey to Russia at the group stage.
Defeating the reigning European champions will be a herculean task for them, but they will take heart from several results this edition where the minnows have punched above their weight.
They will also take motivation from the history. Morocco have won just twice in 14 World Cup games, across five tournaments (including Russia 2018 so far), and the first of those victories was against the Portuguese at Mexico 1986.
Sportzwiki brings you all you need to know ahead of the clash between the two sides.
Venue and time:
Portugal and Morocco will lock horns in Moscow. The action will begin at 5:30 PM IST on Wednesday.
Players to look out for:
Who else it could be for Portugal other than Ronaldo. After becoming the first man to score a World Cup hat-trick against Spain and also the oldest to score three goals in a World Cup match, Ronaldo will be keen to continue his form, as he eyes the ultimate prize in the game.
Aziz Bouhaddouz would be crestfallen after the calamitous headed own goal that saw his team end its opening match empty-handed, despite enjoying 68 percent of possession.
Not surprisingly, all eyes will be on him. He will be desperate to make amends in this game if he gets another chance.
Where to watch:
The Indian fans will enjoy extensive coverage of the game. The English coverage will get telecast on SONY TEN 2 SD and HD channels.
The Hindi feed will be aired on SONY TEN 3 SD and HD channels. Bengali and Malayali feed will be available on SONY ESPN SD channel.
Possible line-ups:
Portugal:
Rui Patricio; Cedric, Pepe, Jose Fonte, Raphael Guerreiro; William, Joao Moutinho, Bernardo Silva, Joao Mario; Andre Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo
Morocco:
Monir El Kajoui; Achraf Hakimi, Ghanem Saiss, Mehdi Benatia, Hamza Mendyl; Karim El Ahmadi, Hakim Ziyach, Mbark Boussoufa, Younes Belhanda, Noureddine Amrabat; Khalid Boutaib
Follow live score on Sportzwiki.