I just think Morocco will have too much for the host nation in the end here.

Canada have been impressive at times but were helped by a kind group, and outside of their 6-0 thumping of Qatar, I haven’t been that impressed with Jesse Marsch’s side, who failed to beat both Bosnia and Switzerland in their other two group games.

Canada also had to battle hard to squeeze past a pretty poor South Africa side, requiring a special goal from Eustaquio in the final stages of that Round of 32 clash.

They look vulnerable at the back and lack a clinical edge, which means they need multiple chances in front of goal to be able to hurt a side of the quality of Morocco, and those multiple chances may not come, given how solid the African side are defensively.

Morocco have been the opposite of Canada and have tended to be clinical in front of goal when given the opportunity, already holding both Brazil and the Netherlands to draws in the 90 minutes. I expect them to extend their positive tournament so far against a host nation that has been quite fortunate with their run so far.

Canada look really open, only really Switzerland have managed to properly take advantage of this so far, but I think the quality of Morocco will come to the fore here and help them to at least four shots on target.

Morocco are averaging 5.25 shots on target per game at the World Cup and have progressed beyond being just a side that is good defensively to one that can cause real problems in the final third through the likes of Saibari, Diaz, and El Khannouss.

Switzerland managed four shots on target in their 2-1 win over Canada in the group stage, and I think Morocco can cover this line too with the quality they boast in forward areas. Morocco covered this line against the Netherlands last time out with five shots on target, four of which came before extra time.

Canada set up in a 4-4-2 shape and are very wide in their build-up play, which allows them to win a lot of corners.

They’ve had 3+ corners in all four of their World Cup matches so far, managing 7+ corners in 75% of these games with an average of 9.75 corners per game.

That average is slightly inflated by the 19 they registered against Qatar, but that corner count does show how Canada can really lean on this avenue to goal in a game where they may be outclassed from open play against a confident Morocco side.

Canada have real threats from these situations too, Derek Cornelius has already had five shots from centre back as a result of these high corner counts, with four of these being headed efforts.

Morocco are conceding 3.50 corners per game at the World Cup, and while I expect them to come through this tie, corners are one area where Canada may get some joy.

Ismael Saibari has been really impressive for Morocco so far with three goals across his four starts at the World Cup in his new role playing as a makeshift striker.

This role suits Saibari as it allows him to remain central, which benefits him as he’s always had a pretty high shot volume and has intelligent movement, as he showed in the opening game to run through the middle of Marquinhos and Gabriel.

He’s taken 10 shots at the World Cup so far (2.48 per 90) with all three of his shots on target ending up in the back of the net. He was just as effective for Morocco during qualifying with three goals across three starts from five shots on target (1.47 per 90).

Jonathan David will be crucial to any chance Canada have of making it through this tie. He’s a decent striker, but lacks the consistency to be an elite player, and that is reflected in his shot accuracy.

David has scored three goals at the World Cup so far, with all three of these goals coming against Qatar in Canada’s 6-0 thumping of the Asian side in the group stages. He’s had 15 shots across these games (4.08 per 90), so he isn’t afraid to pull the trigger.

David took 2+ shots against South Africa last time out as Canada edged a nervy contest 1-0 thanks to a late goal by Estaquio. I think David will get chances in this game, but he’s not the most clinical of strikers, which is why I’ve opted for him to have 2+ shots instead of finding the target.

Canada have really been racking up the corners, and I think this price is appealing to back them to come away with the most corners in this knockout game.

Canada will know that this is the hardest test they’ve faced so far, and Jesse Marsch’s side are likely to be outclassed in open play, but corners are one area where they can level the playing field.

Canada have won the corner battle in all four of their matches so far, posting counts of 9, 19, 7, and 4. This includes winning the corner count against Switzerland, a side who - like Morocco - are better from open play than Canada, but still fell victim to Canada utilising corners and set pieces as their main avenue to goal.

Brahim Diaz has set up two goals at the World Cup so far across his four starts, but I still feel as though he has a bit more to give and a few more levels to work through, given his performances at AFCON earlier this year.

This is probably a critique of Diaz that can be applied to his whole career. He’s 26 now, so he’s not old by any means, but there is a feeling that his natural talent should have led to a greater output or at least more consistency for both club and country.

He’s still Morocco’s main man despite the emergence of Ismael Saibari at this tournament and could come alive in the knockout stages, having scored five goals across his seven starts at AFCON earlier this year.

He’s registered 18 goal contributions across 30 caps for Morocco, which is a very decent record at international level, and I think he can cause Canada some real problems here.

Derek Cornelius is a real threat for Canada from set pieces, which are a massive part of how Jesse Marsch’s side play.

The Rangers centre back didn’t feature much during the most recent campaign due to injury, but has already had five shots at the World Cup, and should have really scored against South Africa last time out with a header that went straight at the keeper.

Cornelius’ natural size makes him a threat from set-piece situations, but I've also been really impressed with his movement so far. He’s always on the move in the box, and Canada often look to him from set pieces to make something happen.

As mentioned, he battled with injuries last season for Rangers but still managed to score one goal across his six starts from five shots and two shots on target.