Morocco will be playing against Tanzania at the Stade de San Pédro stadium in their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group F opener on Wednesday, Bet Extract reports.
Morocco, who placed fourth at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, is the top-ranked African side in FIFA (13) and is a clear favourite. They have only ever won one AFCON, and that victory was in 1976.
In the 2019 AFCON quarterfinals, they lost 2-1 to eventual winners Egypt. In the seventh minute, Sofiane Boufal gave his team the lead. However, Mohamed Salah’s equaliser in the second half and Trézéguet’s goal in extra time helped Egypt pull off a victory.
Tanzania is participating in the AFCON for the third time; they were not selected for the previous edition and returned to the competition in 2019. Earlier this month, they were defeated 2-0 by Egypt in a friendly match.
Morocco has won four of their previous five games in all competitions, going undefeated. They most recently defeated Sierra Leone 3-1 in a friendly. In the first half, Youssef En-Nesyri scored twice, and Boufal also scored.
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The Atlas Lions are in strong form going into the season opener, having won four of their previous five games. They are also considered heavy favourites after their incredible showing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, so they must live up to the hype.
For the event, head coach Walid Regragui has selected a well-balanced Morocco team, including Achraf Hakimi, Sofyan Amrabat, Hakim Ziyech, and Ismael Saibari in the starting lineup.
After losing all three of their games in the 2019 tournament, the Taifa Stars will play in the competition for the third time and want to make a strong impression. In their last five games, they have only managed one victory and have failed to score three times.