Familiarity adds spice to Morocco-Netherlands World Cup clash

A compelling Round of 32 clash awaits at the World Cup as Morocco faces the Netherlands in Monterrey, a match spiced by a significant societal subtext. While the nations have met only three times previously, a strong sense of familiarity pervades the encounter. Morocco's squad includes three players born in the Netherlands, and their top scorer, Ismael Saibari, currently plays for PSV Eindhoven.

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I'm not sure if we're the favourites in the match against Morocco. It's a good team with a lot of quality and they can score easily.

Morocco has strategically drawn on Dutch expertise over the past decade, a period that saw them reach the previous World Cup's semi-finals. They impressed again in this tournament, finishing second in Group C behind Brazil on goal difference, amassing seven points with wins over Scotland and Haiti. Their pressing intensity and intelligent movement suggest they will be a formidable opponent.

"I'm not sure if we're the favourites in the match against Morocco. It's a good team with a lot of quality and they can score easily," stated Dutch coach Ronald Koeman. His team topped Group F with wins against Sweden and Tunisia after a slow start against Japan. Koeman, who captained the Dutch team that beat Morocco in 1994, added, "I’ve got a group of lads that work really well together and have a great team spirit."

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I’ve got a group of lads that work really well together and have a great team spirit.

The Netherlands has a large Moroccan community, estimated at 430,000, and players of Moroccan heritage are prominent in Dutch football. While some, like Ibrahim Afellay and Khalid Boulahrouz, have represented the Netherlands, others, including Sofyan Amrabat, Noussair Mazraoui, and Anass Salah-Eddine, have chosen Morocco. This choice has sparked debate, with former international Rafael van der Vaart controversially suggesting that only the best Dutch-born Moroccan players should represent the Netherlands. Tensions could flare, as Moroccan fans have celebrated their team's success in Dutch streets, prompting police to call for calm ahead of the early Tuesday morning kickoff in the Netherlands.

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I don’t mean to be rude, but all Moroccans here who aren’t good enough to play for the Netherlands go on to play for Morocco. Only (Hakim) Ziyech, I would have liked to have him in the team back then.