Morocco will be looking to maintain their steady progress at the Africa Cup of Nations as they battle South Africa in their round of 16 clash. The North Africans are yet to taste defeat in Cote D'Ivoire and should have the edge over their rivals who have not been too convincing so far.
With the likes of Senegal and Equatorial Guinea making a splash, Morocco have almost flown under the radar at the AFCON. Walid Regragui’s men have steadily gone about their business and finished the group stage with two wins and a draw from three matches.
Morocco head into Tuesday’s clash off the back of a 1-0 victory over Zambia in their final group fixture. Hakim Ziyech struck the only goal in the first half and the Atlas Lions were able to hold on for the win.
While not being overly spectacular Morocco have been solid enough throughout the tournament. They do have some attacking muscles to flex as shown in the 3-0 victory over Tanzania in their opening fixture and will look to the likes of Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri to provide the spark.
South Africa reached the round of 16 after finishing second in Group E behind Mali. They bounced back from a 2-0 defeat to the West Africans in their opening fixture to avoid defeat in their final two matches to progress to the knockout phase.
Bafana Bafana played out a 0-0 draw with Tunisia in their final Group E fixture. It was a clash of few meaningful chances with Hugo Broos’ men mustering only two attempts on target but doing enough to hold out for the point.
South Africa may be playing in the AFCON round of 16, but their recent form has been unconvincing. The 4-0 victory over Namibia in their second group fixture has been their only win in the last five matches across all competitions having also failed to score in four fixtures in that run.
How the bookies view it
Morocco are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 8/13 by Coral to claim the win. A victory for South Africa is valued at 11/2 by BetVictor while a draw is set at odds of 11/4 by bet365.
Head to head
Morocco have a 3-2 advantage with three draws from eight previous matches with South Africa. However, the South Africans picked up a 2-1 victory in an AFCON qualifying fixture back in June.
Players to watch
Morocco will be hoping Youssef En-Nesyri becomes more clinical, especially with Hakim Ziyech and Azzedine Ounahi providing the ammunition. The Sevilla striker could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 7/4 with William Hill.
The Moroccans have looked solid at the back with Nayef Aguerd pivotal in the heart of the defence. With South Africa not convincing in attack, the West Ham centre-back can lead the Atlas Lions to a clean sheet at 4/5 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Morocco have picked up wins to nil in two of their three AFCON matches so far and could be set for a repeat to 5/4 with BetVictor. They also have plenty of attacking verve as evidenced by the win over Tanzania and could be backed in the -1 handicap market at 15/8 by Paddy Power.
The Moroccans have led at the break in their three AFCON matches so far and could be set to earn a halftime win at 13/10 with Coral.
This African Nations Cup match between Morocco and South Africa will be played on Jan 30, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Morocco vs South Africa prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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