Morocco is in a strong clash with the Dutch “mills”.

At five o’clock tomorrow morning UAE time, Gillette Stadium will host a heavy-caliber confrontation between the Netherlands national team (the Windmills) and its Moroccan national team, in the round of 32 competitions of the FIFA World Cup.

The Dutch national team enters the match after imposing itself as one of the most prominent candidates to compete for the title, while the Moroccan national team seeks to continue writing history, and to confirm that its achievement in the last edition was not just a coincidence, but rather an extension of the great development that the “Atlas Lions” have experienced during recent years.

The Dutch team succeeded in securing the top spot in Group F, after collecting seven points from three matches, ensuring well-deserved qualification to the knockout rounds.

Coach Ronald Koeman’s men began their tournament campaign with an exciting 2-2 draw against Japan, before the team regained its balance by achieving two successive victories over Sweden and Tunisia, to finish the group stage in first place, ahead of second-placed Japan, while Sweden exited the competition from third place.

The Dutch team’s distinction was not limited to results only, but also presented a remarkable offensive performance, after its players scored 10 goals in three matches, becoming one of the strongest attacking lines in the tournament so far, which enhanced its chances of seriously competing for the world title.

Although the Netherlands is one of the largest football schools in the world, the Orange team has not yet succeeded in winning the World Cup.

The Dutch team lost the final on three occasions, in 1974, 1978 and 2010. It also finished third in the 2014 World Cup and fourth in the 1998 edition.

In the last edition of the 2022 World Cup, the Netherlands national team reached the quarter-finals before bidding farewell to the competition, which makes the current generation aspire to go as far as possible, and perhaps achieve the awaited historic title.

If it overcomes Morocco, the Dutch team will set up a date in the round of 16 with the winner of the match against South Africa and Canada, which is a path that seems relatively appropriate before the possibility of facing one of the giants, Germany or France, in the quarter-finals.

On the other hand, the Moroccan team enters the match in high spirits, after performing well in the group stage, which it also finished with seven points, but settled for second place in the third group, behind the Brazilian team on goal difference only.

The “Atlas Lions” began their campaign with a valuable 1-1 draw against Brazil, a result that confirmed their ability to compete against the top teams, before they achieved a victory over Scotland with a clean goal, then an exciting victory over Haiti with a score of 4-2, to ensure qualification for the knockout rounds with great confidence.

The Moroccan team entered the tournament amid expectations of the possibility of achieving a distinguished journey, based on the technical stability and quality of the elements it possesses, which was actually reflected in its performance during the group stage.

The historic achievement achieved by the Moroccan team in the 2022 World Cup is still fresh in mind, when it became the first Arab and African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.

Although Morocco has never won the tournament, what it presented in Qatar gave the players and technical staff great confidence in the possibility of repeating or even surpassing the achievement during the 2026 edition.

The team’s performance against the Brazilian team at the opening of its matches confirmed that coach Mohamed Wehbe’s squad is capable of competing with the strongest international teams, which gives it hope of overcoming the obstacle of the Dutch team.

Historically, the two teams have faced each other in three previous matches, with the advantage going to the Dutch team.

One of the most prominent of these confrontations was the meeting between them in the group stage of the 1994 World Cup, when the Dutch team succeeded in winning 2-1.

Despite the historical advantage of the Netherlands, the current Moroccan team is very different from previous versions, and has the experience and quality that makes it capable of overturning all expectations.

The coaching staff of the Dutch national team received a morale boost, after it was confirmed that both Denzel Dumfries and Brian Brobbey were ready to participate in the match, after the doubts surrounding their physical condition during the past days.

• Coach Mohamed Wehbe’s squad is capable of competing with the strongest international teams.