Prediction and odds for the game: Morocco (11/10) vs Ghana (3/1)

We are predicting a win for Morocco

When: Monday 10 January 2022, Kick-off 16:00

Where: The Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium

On Monday afternoon, Morocco and Ghana clash in their opening game of Group C of the African Cup of Nations.

Morocco

The Atlas Lions are not only favourites for this game, but also the favourites to win the group. Many observers also have them amongst the favourites to be crowned as champions of Africa.

Morocco have a strong recent record, as they have not been beaten in 27 outings in 90 minutes. Vahid Halilhodzic’s team has also won 12 of their last 13 matches in all competitions. The exception was a 2-2 draw against Algeria in their last match late last year.

In truth, despite having talented players down the years, Morocco has underachieved at the AFCON, as the only time they have won the competition was way back in 1976. Their best performance since was in 2004, when they finished as runners-up.

They only made it to the last-16 in 2019, where they suffered a penalty defeat against Benin after a 1-1 draw.

Morocco has some notable absences for this tournament, as they have chosen not to select Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech, Benfica’s Abel Taarabt and veteran Olympiakos forward Youssef El-Arabi. However, none of their admissions will be a major surprise, as the trio has missed a lot of national team games of late.

Ghana

The Black Stars are a traditional powerhouse of the African game, having won this competition on four occasions. However, like their opponents, it’s been a while since Ghana have been successful at the AFCON, as their last triumph came in 1982. They finished as runners-up in 2015. Back in 2019, Ghana only made it to the last-16, exiting the competition on penalty kicks against Tunisia after a 1-1 draw.

Despite their illustrious past in the African Cup of Nations, Ghana have a poor recent record in the competition. The Black Stars have won just one of their last six games at the AFCON.

Ghana recent international form has also been slightly inconsistent. A 3-0 friendly defeat against Algeria last time out ended a short four-game unbeaten run for Milovan Rajevac’s team. The defeat ended a run of low-scoring games for Ghana, as their previous three matches had all produced under 2.5 goals.

Head coach Rajevac decided against calling up Crystal Palace’s Jeffrey Schlupp and Roma’s young wunderkind Felix Afena-Gyan.

Conclusion

Morocco are just so difficult to beat at the moment and we are backing Vahid Halilhodzic’s team to record a victory. The other bet we fancy is for Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri to be an anytime goalscorer, as he has impressed for the Andalusians in flashes in the last few seasons.

Our Tips: We are backing the Morocco win at odds of 11/10 and/or Youssef En-Nesyri to be an anytime goalscorer at odds of 11/4. (All odds are taken from Bet365).

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Who will get their African Cup of Nations campaign off to a winning start in Group C?