The third quarter-final of the Africa Cup of Nations sees seven-time winners Egypt go head-to-head with Morocco in Yaoundé on Sunday.
No country has won more AFCON titles than Egypt over the years. On the flip side, Morocco’s sole AFCON triumph came all the way back in 1976.
Let’s start by looking at the Pharaohs, who claimed a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Ivory Coast in the round of 16.
Despite racking up a whopping 21 shots across normal and extra-time, Egypt failed to break the Elephants down. It is also worth noting that Ivory Coast enjoyed the majority of possession.
However, the record champions finally advanced via penalties – with Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah netting the winning spot kick.
The Pharaohs lost their opening game of the tournament to Nigeria but bounced back with victories over Guinea-Bissau and Sudan.
The defeat to Nigeria is Egypt’s only loss in their previous 19 matches across all competitions. Before that, their last defeat came against South Africa at AFCON 2019.
Having kept three clean sheets in four games so far, Egypt will be confident of preventing Morocco from scoring on Sunday.
Now it’s time to take a closer look at Morocco, who booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 victory over Malawi in the round of 16.
Malawi took the lead after just seven minutes on Tuesday. However, Youssef En-Nesyri equalised on the stroke of half-time before PSG star Achraf Hakimi netted the winner via a stunning free-kick.
That means the Atlas Lions remain unbeaten in this tournament, having taken seven points from a possible nine during the group stage.
After beating Ghana in their first game, they cruised past Comoros before drawing with Gabon on Matchday 3.
Head-to-head: Egypt and Morocco have faced each other 29 times over the years. Believe it or not, the Pharaohs have managed to beat Morocco on just three occasions.
It is also worth noting that 17 of the previous 18 meetings between the two nations have produced under 2.5 goals.
Team news: Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenaway went off injured last time out. He joins right-back Akram Tawfik on the sidelines.
As for Morocco, forward Ryan Mmaee picked up a knock in the round of 16 and could miss Sunday’s quarter-final.
This is destined to be a close battle between two of the strongest African nations, meaning Sunday’s clash is likely to go the distance.
Forebet predicts that Egypt and Morocco will play out a goalless draw in normal time, with extra-time and penalties looking likely.
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