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One of this week’s biggest Africa Cup of Nations clashes comes as Morocco meet the Ivory Coast in Group D. These two meet fighting for a spot in the last 16, while they will each be trying to top the pile in this group. Both of these teams can be seen as contenders for the trophy, between them they boast some of the tournament’s top players. With both taking some impressive squads to the tournament we should be in for a great clash on Friday, but who is going to edge it?
Morocco kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Namibia, with an 89th-minute own-goal edging them ahead. That wasn’t the best way to kick things off, but at least they got three points on the board. There are concerns about their attacking impact, as Morocco could use an out and out centre-forward to round off a strong side. However, they do have a solid defence, which was able to keep Namibia quiet going forward through that clash. Now the task for them is to step up and hold off the Elephants.
However, if the Elephants are clicking right now, there could be bigger issues down the line. As they prepare to face one of the best defences in the competition, Ivory Coast should be worried about how they’re performing up top. After all, Morocco kept four clean sheets in their last five qualifiers, while they’ve started as they mean to go on in Egypt with a shut out in their first game. Will they be able to pull off a result against the Ivory Coast?
Morocco have won the last two meetings, including a win at the 2017 Cup of Nations. They haven’t conceded to Ivory Coast in three straight games, while the Elephants have issues of their own here. While they had a winning run at home leading up to the tournament, their previous six away matches before heading Egypt saw five draws. We expect them to have trouble against Morocco on neutral ground, so we’re backing Morocco Double Chance here.