Perhaps one of the easiest predictions for the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2024 in Cote D'Ivoire is the Group F match between the tournament's clear favorites and the highest-ranked country in Africa, the Atlas Lions of Morocco, against the Taifa Stars of Tanzania.
The bookmakers' prediction for the Atlas Lions of Morocco to win this match cannot be faulted, as it should be a proverbial battle between a giant and a dwarf.
No doubt, Morocco is the clear favorite for this clash for several reasons, given their pedigree and the fact that they have a benchmark to measure themselves against. Other strong contenders, such as the hosts, Cote D'Ivoire, Senegal, and Egypt, have won their respective matches, leaving out Nigeria, Algeria, and Ghana who fumbled along.
Morocco has recently been on an impressive run, especially at the World Cup, beating star-studded Spain and Portugal.
The Atlas Lions should get the job done; however, what might be in contention will be how many goals.
For the Atlas Lions, they have one of the most disciplined defensive lines in Africa, and they are very difficult to penetrate, having been unbeaten in five matches coming into the AFCON and conceding just two goals in their last five matches.
Just last year, Walid Regragui's tutored Morocco beat Tanzania 2-0 in November.
It is not enough for Morocco to win only, but a convincing win, probably keeping a clean sheet against a team that could be a minnow to their standards.
Regragui’s team is well-disciplined, and he is a huge asset to the team as they attempt to make a solid impression in AFCON 2024.
The Moroccans should make use of their cohesive defensive unit to latch on to a comfortable pressing game against the Taifa Stars.
For the Tanzania Taifa Stars, they have nothing to lose, owing to the fact that they haven't made any impressive performances in the recent AFCONs, so getting anything from this one looks like a tall order.
They have picked up just one point across the group stages of the last two tournaments.
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