What happened: Netherlands and Morocco square off at Monterrey Stadium on Monday for a place in the FIFA World Cup 26 Round of 16. Ronald Koeman's side topped Group F with seven points after drawing 2-2 with Japan and beating Sweden 5-1 and Tunisia 3-1. Mohamed Ouahbi's Morocco finished second in Group C, level on seven points with Brazil but behind on goal difference, following a 1-1 draw with Brazil, a 1-0 win over Scotland and a 4-2 comeback past Haiti.

Why it matters: A knockout tie of this weight carries real consequence: the loser goes home and the winner reaches the last 16. Morocco arrive as the third African nation to reach the knockout stages in consecutive tournaments, after Nigeria and Ghana, and are chasing back-to-back World Cup wins over European opposition for the first time. The fixture also revives history, as the only previous World Cup meeting between the nations was a 2-1 Dutch result in 1994.

What to watch: Watch Brobbey and Gakpo to lead the Dutch attack against a Morocco side driven by Saibari's breakout form and Hakimi's two-way influence down the right.