Our prediction for this Africa Cup of Nations 2024 match:
Morocco
Match Time & Date:
09/06/2022
02:00 PM
Prediction: 2-1
South Africa
All eyes will be on Stade Moulay Abdallah when Morocco and South Africa square off against each other in the Group K derby. Morocco qualified for the 2022 World Cup finals in great manner, with the team beating D.R. Congo 5-2 on aggregate, but they head into Thursday’s AFCON qualifier following a 3-0 loss to USA. Sevilla attacker En Nesyri is widely expected to return to the starting XI after coming as a substitute in the TQL Stadium defeat, while Chelsea ace Hakim Ziyech has once again been omitted.
Bafana Bafana, on the other hand, suffered a heart-breaking 1-0 loss to Ghana in their last group game in the WC qualifiers, and, as a result, they will not take part at the showpiece tournament in Qatar. Anyhow, Morocco are a real force to be reckoned with at home, and we predict that Vahid Halilhodzic’s troops will prove their worth on the field. It has to be noted that both Thembinkosi Lorch and Percy Tau are back to the squad, speaking of the away team.
Highlighted Player (Achraf Lazaar):
Achraf Lazaar was born in Casablanca, Morocco on January 22, 1992, but he moved to Italy with his parents in 2003. The left-footed footballer began his youth career at Raja Casablanca and he joined Varese’s youth academy in 2009.
Lazaar made his debut for the senior team in 2012. He made 37 league appearances for Varese, but he did not find the net during his spell at the Stadio Franco Ossola outfit. In January 2014 he signed a contract with Palermo and he has been playing for the Sicilian outfit ever since.Lazaar plays as a left back, but he is capable of producing fine displays as a left back as well. Seeing that he was unable to play for Italy, the Palermo footballer decided to represent Morocco on the international stage. He made his Morocco debut on 23 may, 2014 in a friendly against Mozambique. Morocco recorded a routine 4-0 win over Mozambique back then. Achraf Lazaar has a contract with Palermo which expires on 30 June, 2017.
Highlighted Team (South Africa):
Controlled by South Africa Football Association, South Africa national football team mainly play their home games at FNB Stadium which can hold up to 94,736 spectators. The Bafana Bafana qualified for their first FIFA World Cup in 1998, but they failed to advance to the knockout stages of the showpiece tournament in France.
Four years later South Africa participated at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea, with the team suffering once again suffering elimination in the group stages of the competition. South Africa were elected to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but despite defeating France in Group A, they eventually failed to book their place in the last 16.
The Bafana Bafana, though, did well to win the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, with the team beating Tunisia in the title game. South Africa played their first international game against Argentina back in 1906, with the team suffering a 1-0 loss to the Albiceleste,
