Morocco to cruise into quarter-finals with victory over Benin
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Morocco and Benin will kick off the AFCON 2019 round of 16 at the Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo on Friday.
Morocco were one of the pre-tournament favorites and have fulfilled expectations by claiming maximum points from the group stage.
On the other hand, Benin surprisingly progressed from a tough group that featured heavyweights Ghana and Cameroon.
They qualified for the knockout stage after finishing as one of the best third-placed teams and come into this tie as clear underdogs.
Benin drew all three of their group matches. They picked up an impressive 2-2 draw with Ghana in their opening match and followed that up with goalless draws against Guinea-Bissau and holders Cameroon.
Morocco claimed three consecutive 1-0 scorelines from their three group matches. They qualified without conceding a goal and are looking like genuine contenders for the title.
They beat Namibia, Ivory Coast and South Africa on their way to the last 16 and are expected to make it four wins on the bounce against Benin.
Morocco’s sole Africa Cup of Nations title came all the way back in 1976 and their current set of players will be eager to emulate the success of their fellow countrymen.
Their squad is littered with stars who play for some of Europe’s top clubs. Achraf Hakimi (Borussia Dortmund) and Romain Saiss (Wolverhampton Wanderers) are two of the competition’s stand-out defenders.
Noussair Mazraoui and Hakim Ziyech enjoyed a successful domestic season with Ajax. Both players would love to cap off their campaigns with another piece of silverware.
Benin are playing in just their fourth AFCON tournament and this is the first time that they have made it past the first round.
They do not have the big-name players that Morocco possess and will be relying on a hearty team effort when they take to the field for their first ever knockout match.
The two teams have met five times in the past and Morocco have won on every occasion. The overall aggregate score from the five matches stands at 19-2.
Their most recent meeting in 2014 ended with a 6-1 victory in favor of Morocco and a similar scoreline on Friday would not be seen as a surprise.
Forebet predicts a comfortable win for Morocco, which will secure their AFCON 2019 quarter-final spot.
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
Acn
542323
1
1 - 0
1.91
28°
1.42
1.42
3.88
9.50
-1
1
1
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