Prediction and odds for the game: Egypt (11/5) vs Morocco (13/8)

We are backing the draw at odds of 9/5

When: Sunday 30 January 2022, Kick-off 15:00

On Sunday afternoon, two of the powerhouses of African football Egypt and Morocco go head-to-head in one of the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations.

Egypt

The Pharoah’s finished second in their group behind Nigeria, in a group also including Guinea-Bissau and Sudan. They opened the competition with a 1-0 defeat against the eventual group winners before recording two straight 1-0 wins over their other group opponents.

A last-16 game against Ivory Coast was always going to be difficult. However, they booked their place in the last eight of the competition courtesy of a penalty kick win after a goalless draw in normal and extra-time.

The result means that Egypt have now kept three straight clean sheets in the competition.  They have kept clean sheets in six of their last eight African Cup of Nations games dating back to 2019. The clean sheets have contributed to their last eight matches in the competition producing under 2.5 goals.

The Pharoah’s defeated Morocco at this stage of the competition back in 2017. The win was achieved by that familiar scoreline of 1-0.

Morocco

The Atlas Lions are unbeaten at the African Cup of Nations. They kicked off their campaign with victories over Ghana and Comoros before being held to a 2-2 draw by Gabon.

Valid Halilhodzic’s team avoided a potential upset by recording a 2-1 win over Malawi in the round of 16. They should offer that solid Egyptian defence some big problems, as Morocco have now scored at least twice in their last three matches at the AFCON.

PSG full-back Achraf Hakimi has been a big attacking threat, as the former Inter star has scored in his last two matches for his national team.

Morocco are now unbeaten in eight games over 90 minutes at the African Cup of Nations. They exited the 2019 edition of the competition after losing a penalty shootout against Benin following a 1-1 draw.

Conclusion

This is arguably the most high-profile quarter-final tie at the African Cup of Nations. The recent history of the fixture suggests that games between the two teams have been very close. Considering it has been hard to separate the pair in recent history, we are backing the draw.

The other bet we are backing is under 2.5 goals scored. Egypt have looked strong at the back at the AFCON. The recent matches between these two teams have also been low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in their last 13 officially recognised international meetings.

Our Tips: We are backing the draw at odds of 9/5 and/or under 2.5 goals scored at odds of 1/3. (All odds are taken from Bet365).

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Which of these African giants will progress to the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations?