Morocco vs Namibia Predictions

Morocco head to Egypt this summer as real dark horses for glory. They put in some memorable displays at the World Cup last summer, which has given them a solid platform for the Africa Cup of Nations this summer. With a solid squad of talented players at top European sides, it’s no surprise that Morocco have their admirers here. However, can they kick things off with a strong start when they clash with Namibia in Cairo?

Morocco aren’t worried about hype ahead of this tournament, with manager Herve Renard talking up their chances of glory going into the tournament. He’s had a solid spell in charge of Morocco – which is his fourth job as the coach of an African national side. So far, he has won the Cup of Nations with two of them. He claimed glory in 2012 with Zambia, before going on to lead the Ivory Coast to success in 2015. That has to make Morocco a team to watch here, while plenty will be keeping an eye on his side’s opening game to see if Renard has another African champion team on his hands.

Namibia aren’t coming here with the same record, having yet to win a game at this tournament. They first qualified in 1998, while they returned 10 years later. In both tournaments, they left the group stage with a single point, while the same could happen this time around. They’ve landed one of the toughest groups in the tournament, facing Morocco, Ivory Coast and South Africa. Given that lineup, a point might be seen as a success for them.

Namibia head into this tournament having come through one of the easiest groups in qualifying. They were second behind Guinea in Group K, narrowly edging ahead of Mozambique and Zambia. However, they got through the group having scored just five times in six matches, which shows their lack of quality. Without that cutting edge, we expect Namibia to struggle to pick up points.

Meanwhile, Morocco conceded just three times in qualifying. They head into this tournament with a solid 3-4-3, which keeps them secure in defence. They should be expected to see off Namibia – who they’ve faced six times and won in five. They’ve lost those clashes 14-2 on aggregate, while Morocco come into this clash with a fresh attacking edge thanks to 22-year-old Leganes forward Youssef En-Nesyri, who partners Ajax’s in-demand winger Hakim Ziyech.