Morocco vs Gabon AFCON Qualifier Preview
Morocco begin their campaign in Group A of AFCON qualifying with a home clash against Gabon.
The Atlas Lions have been in good form lately and boast a solid record in this fixture.
Key Stats
- Morocco are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- Morocco have won by two or more goals in their last five matches against Gabon.
- Gabon have lost four of their last five matches in all competitions.
Morocco with the Advantage
Morocco have seven wins while Gabon have been victorious four times with three draws in 14 previous matches. The Atlas Lions did the double in the last AFCON qualifiers, earning a 4-1 home victory before easing to a 5-1 triumph in the reverse fixture.
Morocco Almost Unstoppable
Morocco have been the top-ranked team on the continent for a while and reached the final of the previous AFCON. They were also the African team to go the farthest at the FIFA World Cup, progressing to the quarter-finals before falling 2-0 to France.
Things have been pretty smooth for Morocco lately, and they are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions. They have picked up six wins in this run and will look to carry that form into the AFCON qualifiers.
Morocco have been superior to a lot of opponents lately and have earned a few one-sided results in their recent matches. Among the results for Mohamed Ouahbi’s team is a 3-0 victory over Canada at the World Cup, while they also earned a 5-0 win over Burundi in a friendly back in May.
Transitional Period for Gabon
Gabon had a disappointing showing at the last AFCON, losing all three of their group stage matches. The poor performance led to an inquiry back home, with several players, including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, getting suspended from the national team.
Aubameyang has since announced his retirement from international football, and Gabon appear to be heading into a new era. They have a solid record in AFCON qualifiers, having played in six of the last nine tournaments.
Gabon’s last outing was at the FIFA Series in March as they played out a 2-2 draw in normal time before winning on penalties. However, their recent form has been underwhelming, losing four of their last five matches in all competitions.
Team News & Predicted Line-ups
Morocco (4-2-3-1): Yassine Bounou; Achraf Hakimi, Issa Diop, Nayef Aguerd, Anass Salah-Eddine; Ayoub Bouaddi, Neil El Aynaoui; Brahim Díaz, Azzedine Ounahi, Bilal El Khannouss; Ismael Saibari.
Ismael Saibari is back with Morocco following an injury that ended his World Cup campaign in the group stage. The forward should feature in attack while Nayef Aguerd and Issa Diop are expected to line up at the back.
Gabon (4-2-3-1): Jean-Noel Amonome; Anthony Oyono, Alex Moucketou-Moussoonda, Jaques Ekomie; Aaron Appindangoye, Mario Lemina, Didier Ndong; Denis Bouanga, Guelor Kanga, Jim Allevinah; Rody Junior Effaghe.
Gabon are without striker Aubameyang, who retired from the national team after the AFCON. Rody Junior Effaghe should lead the line for the visitors while Anthony Oyono is set to feature at the back.