Belgium vs Morocco: Match Timeline This Belgium v Morocco football match timeline will give you all the details you need to know about this international football clash. From when the teams meet for the first time to their final score, we’ve got you covered!
Belgium vs Morocco: Match Details
The Belgium vs Morocco football match is set to kick off at 20:00 BST. The game will be played at the Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels. Belgium have been drawn in Group G alongside World Cup runners-up France, Andorra and Gibraltar.
Morocco are also in Group G, but they have been placed in the same group as Portugal, Spain and Iran. The three other teams in Group G are all European champions. Morocco qualified for the World Cup by winning their qualifying group which included Tunisia, Algeria and Libya.
Belgium’s head coach Roberto Martinez has named a 22-man squad for the game against Morocco. The team is made up of mostly young players, with only two players over 30 years old – both of them defenders Toby Alderweireld (32) and Jan Vertonghen (30). Other notable absentees from the squad include Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Axel Witsel (Zenit Saint Petersburg), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Romelu Lukaku (Everton) and Michy Batshuayi (Marseille).
Belgium started their World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama on 16 June. Their next game is against Tunisia on 22 June.
Belgium vs Morocco: Live Stream Info
Belgium vs Morocco: Live Stream Info
When: Thursday, November 14 at 7pm ET
Where: Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels, Belgium
What channel is it on?: beIN Sports USA and beIN SPORTS CONNECT Arabia
The match between Belgium and Morocco will take place on Thursday November 14 at 7pmET. Both teams are coming into this game with plenty of questions surrounding them. The Belgians have had a tough time in their group stage matches, losing to England and Panama while narrowly beating Sweden. Meanwhile, Morocco has been impressive so far. They topped their group with wins over Algeria and Tunisia, but they’ll have their work cut out against the more experienced Belgians.
In terms of what to watch for, both teams should look to play attacking soccer. Belgium should focus on creating chances through midfielders Axel Witsel and Radja Nainggolan while Moroccan attacker Islam Slimani will look to put pressure on the Belgian defense. Keep an eye out for any spectacular goals or saves by either goalkeeper in this exciting matchup!
Belgium vs Morocco: Highlights
Belgium vs Morocco: Match Timeline
Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2016
Kickoff: 18:00 CET
Venue: Stade Roi Baudouin Stadium, Charleroi
Referee: Thierry Laureus (France)
Belgium Starting XI
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea FC, ENG), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool FC, ENG)
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur FC, ENG), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City FC, ENG) Laurent Ciman (LA Galaxy, USA), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain FC, FRA), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur FC, ENG)
Midfielders: Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid CF, SPA), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City FC, ENG), Eden Hazard (Chelsea FC, ENG), Romelu Lukaku (Everton AFC, ENGLAND) Steven Defour(Everton AFC, ENGLAND), Moussa Dembele( Celtic FC , SCO)
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi( Chelsea FC ,ENG), Dries Mertens(Napoli SCR Napoli Football Club ,ITA).
Belgium vs Morocco: What’s at Stake?
Belgium and Morocco have clashed six times since their independence in 1830. The first match, played at the Royal Club of Brussels, ended in a 2-2 draw. The most recent encounter was a friendly on November 20 in Antwerp, which saw Belgium win 1-0. With both countries ranked 73rd and 74th in the FIFA World Rankings respectively, this is likely to be their last competitive meeting for some time.
The main reason for this tilt has less to do with footballing prowess than with politics. Belgium is still technically part of the European Union while Morocco is not. This discrepancy in membership status has led to tension between the two neighbours, with Belgium accusing Morocco of exploiting its EU membership to unfairly benefit from preferential trade deals and investment opportunities. In retaliation for these accusations, Moroccan authorities have imposed travel bans and asset freezes on Belgian officials.
All things considered, it’s unlikely that any real progress will be made towards resolving these differences during this particular match. However, by playing against each other, both countries can gain some much-needed international experience which they can then apply towards more important competitions down the line.
The Belgians: A Look At Their Squad
Belgium, who are in Group B with Spain, Portugal and Netherlands, begin their campaign against Morocco on Monday evening. The game will be played at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels and kick-off is scheduled for 20:45 GMT.
Belgium are led by Roberto Martino, a former Argentina and Barcelona coach who took over from Marc Wilmots following the 2014 World Cup. They have been drawn in Group B alongside Spain and Portugal, both of whom they have beaten in recent meetings: 3-1 in 2007 and 2-0 in a friendly earlier this year.
Morocco arrived at the tournament as one of the favourites but have so far failed to live up to expectations. They lost their opening game 1-0 to Russia before drawing 1-1 with Iran and then losing 2-0 to Spain.
The Moroccans: A Look At Their Squad
Belgium Vs Morocco: Match Timeline
The Belgium vs Morocco match is set to kick off at 15:00 BST and will be aired live on BBC Sport. Here is a timeline of the key events leading up to the game:
Friday, June 10:
Belgium announce their 23-man squad for the World Cup game against Morocco.
Monday, June 13:
Morocco confirm their squad for the match.
Saturday, June 17:
Belgium take on Tunisia in their opening group game of the World Cup.
Morocco face Brazil in their opening group game of the World Cup.
Key Players for Belgium and Morocco
With a population of 10 million people, Belgium is one of the smaller countries in the European Union. Neighboring France has a population of almost 66 million, while Germany has over 82 million people. With just over 11% of the EU’s population, Belgium’s GDP is only slightly higher than that of Bulgaria.
The country has been a member of the European Union since 1995 and is considered to be a relatively prosperous country. The GDP per capita in Belgium was €37,000 in 2016. However, unemployment rates remain high at 10%. In recent years, Belgian companies have been expanding into new markets such as Africa and Asia.
Belgium has a well-developed infrastructure with a number of universities and hospitals. The country also boasts some great natural attractions such as the Ardennes Forest and Antwerp Diamond District.
Morocco, on the other hand, has a population of approximately 33 million people. It is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world and occupies just 5% of the total land area in Europe. Morocco shares borders with Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya to the north; Spain and Andalusia to the east; and Mauritania to the south.
Much like Belgium, Morocco enjoys a high level of economic prosperity with GDP per capita standing at $26,400 in 2016. However, Morocco faces significant social challenges including poverty rates estimated at 43%, unemployment rates exceeding 25%, and inequality levels that are among the highest in Africa
Prediction: Belgium vs Morocco
Belgium and Morocco will clash in a friendly match on Saturday evening at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. The game is scheduled to begin at 8:00 PM ET and will be streamed live on both ESPN3 and BeIN Sports.
Morocco have been drawn in Group A of the World Cup Qualifying tournament alongside France, Sweden and Luxembourg. The Moroccans are currently second in the group, with two points from four matches played. Belgium are top of Group G, with six points from four matches played.
Both teams have had mixed results so far in qualifying. Belgium beat Gibraltar 2-0 but lost 1-0 to Wales while Morocco drew 1-1 with Tunisia before losing 3-1 to Saudi Arabia. However, their last match against each other was a 0-0 draw back in September 2013 which suggests that this match could be very close.
The best prediction regarding this game would probably be a draw as there is no clear favourite between these two sides.