HOUSTON — Don’t fool yourself: as confident as Jesse Marsch has been through Canada’s World Cup run, the head coach undoubtedly understands what their Round of 16 match against Morocco, the sixth-ranked team in the world according to FIFA, will bring.“This is a team that has literally zero weaknesses,” Marsch said of Morocco on Friday.Official pre-match press conferences with Marsch usually feature a few similar tropes: intense self-belief. Hyping up his own players. Subtle shots at anyone daring to doubt him and Canada.Friday was different. The official pre-match press conference featured a mix of reflection about Canada’s entire World Cup, the lasting impact on the country’s population and admiration for Morocco.Marsch went so far in his praise for the opposition that two Moroccan journalists both questioned whether he was trying to subtly put pressure on the favourites.“Let’s just call the fact what it is,” Marsch said. “This is our first time to the Round of 16. This is a big accomplishment for us. Of course, we’re not satisfied. We want to keep going, but I think the internal expectations for the Moroccan team themselves is to find a way to get back to the semi-final, and even further.”Such is the Herculean task in front of Canada.Getting out of the Round of 16 and into the quarter-finals will require a lot more than just subtle pressure on Morocco, though. Let’s take a look at three questions Marsch and his team will have to answer in their first ever Round of 16 match.Can Canada leverage their status as underdogs?What do Canada’s performances against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland and South Africa have in common?For parts of these performances, Canada looked noticeably jittery. The weight of the pressure facing them in games they needed results in felt heavy.The feel around this Canada team in the build-up to this match has been completely different. Canada are the underdogs and Marsch has not run from that idea.“Even when I’ve sat in front of (Canada’s players) and created a match plan,” Marsch said, “I’ve basically said to them, ‘This team has zero weaknesses, but we have to try to be good at the things that we care about and that we are good at, and we have to see if that can hold up against an opponent like this’.”If Canada can play without pressure and attack the game as freely as they did against Colombia, Ukraine and Romania in three of their best performances of 2025, they could pull off the upset. Play tense and Morocco will capitalize.Already in training and media availabilities, Canada don’t look and sound tense in the slightest. We’ll see what kind of impact that has, but it doesn’t seem to be a negative.What is the best way to shut down Morocco?Marsch confirmed on Friday that Moise Bombito would be available against Morocco. The centre-back started Canada’s Round of 32 game against South Africa, his lone start of the tournament.If Bombito feels healthy enough to go at full pace for nearly 60 minutes, he should again start. His speed will be critical to shutting down Morocco’s pace from wide areas.A fit Moise Bombito is crucial for Canada (ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP via Getty Images)Who starts alongside Bombito will be a critical question for Marsch. Derek Cornelius is Bombito’s most-used centre-back partner and presents reliability. Luc de Fougerolles, however, has been Canada’s best centre-back through the entirety of the tournament. His strengths though, involve stepping forward and shutting down attacks towards the middle third of the pitch and then playing the ball forward.How will Marsch lean against a Moroccan side that should present even more dynamic attacking options than Switzerland did?One question that continues to be asked around this Canadian team this week: would Marsch consider playing three centre-backs as part of a defensively-minded 3-5-2 shape? In this shape, eliminating a wide midfielder in favour of an extra defender could still allow Canada to press while also providing more defensive stability.Marsch has repeatedly said he is unafraid to utilize other options beyond his preferred 4-4-2 shape with two centre-backs. You wonder if the Round of 16 would be the best time for Marsch not to abandon his philosophy, but to shift his set-up.If Canada could get out of the first half without having conceded a goal, that would allow Marsch to then shift his set-up to his more preferred 4-4-2 by adding Alphonso Davies to the match.Marsch said on Friday that Davies would be available after the Bayern Munich left back made his first appearance of the World Cup in the Round of 32. Davies had early dazzling moments before his game trailed off. But dropping Davies into a stalemate of a game could turn Morocco on their heads.However Marsch goes about it, it’s clear he still believes an organized defensive approach will present the clearest path to a possible win over Morocco. Canada’s 2.4 expected goals against per FotMob are fifth-highest in the World Cup. Canada are a strong defensive side. Who Marsch chooses to continue that approach could determine their fortunes against Morocco.Canada defender Alistair Johnston highlighted Friday how Canada’s “commitment to defending from all 11 players in the pitch” could be the difference.“I went back to South Africa game, and even then you see the stats, I think we can see (Canada allowed) 0.1 xG,” Johnston said. “And that’s something that, in a knockout round game, if you’re doing that, you’re going to be in a pretty good place.”What is the best combination in attack?Lineup hints have dried up as Canada’s World Cup has progressed. Marsch has made noticeable efforts to keep the media guessing. The only lineup hint he offered on Friday was about one of his forwards, Cyle Larin.“I expect that when we do call on (Larin) in this match, however we use him, that he’ll be ready to deliver a great performance,” Marsch said of Larin.It is hard to believe that Marsch would abandon his desire to run at teams to counter-press them into submission. There could be more eyeballs than ever on Canada during the Round of 16. Abandoning the game plan Marsch has maintained all tournament doesn’t feel like the best way to instill confidence in his team.Even if Marsch uses a more pragmatic shape to start the game, he’ll still likely start two forwards. In four games, Marsch has split starts between Tani Oluwaseyi and Cyle Larin to start beside Jonathan David.Larin has two goals while Oluwaseyi has not scored. Larin has had a strong tournament overall. However Canada is undefeated in Oluwaseyi’s two starts.Will Tani Oluwaseyi keep his place in the starting XI? (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)Morocco will try to play as up-tempo games as Canada. In a game that promises to be more of track meet than a chess match, Marsch could rely on forwards who can press with intensity and remain mobile for at least 60 minutes.That suggests Marsch could opt for Oluwaseyi over Larin up top.Will this duo connect well enough to score a crucial goal against Morocco?Yes, David bagged a hat trick against Qatar and deserves credit for doing so. But one goal from David against a much more difficult opponent would be even more meaningful for Canada.Could turning to Oluwaseyi help unlock David in a game of massive importance? Only twice in David’s career has he scored for Canada and they have lost in 90 minutes.“I think (Jonathan David) plays best when he’s allowed to roam a bit,” Oluwaseyi told The Athletic before the World Cup. “And once he gets going like that, it makes life so much easier for the rest of us. So for me, it’s a matter of recognizing the spots that he does like getting the ball. And it also means doing the dirty work. So I’m willing to sacrifice, do some of his runs or do some of his pressing because I know it’ll buy him more time or more energy on the ball as well.”