Morocco - Zambia predictions and free betting tips [07/06/2024]

On Friday, June 7, as part of the third round of the qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup, Morocco will host Zambia. Walid Regragui's team has played only one match in this campaign due to Eritrea's disqualification. However, the "lions" remain favourites for the top spot. 

Stadium

The match will take place in Agadir at the Ardar Stadium.

Morocco

The 2022 World Cup semi-finalists, Morocco, began the current qualifying tournament well, winning their only match in November against Tanzania (0-2). The "Atlas Lions" were disappointed at the last African Cup of Nations, exiting in the round of 16 against South Africa. However, they performed quite successfully in the group stage, topping their group ahead of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Tanzania.

In March, Morocco beat Angola (1-0) before drawing with Mauritania (0-0) in two friendlies. Now, on this Friday weekend, the hosts can pull three points clear of their closest rivals. It's important to note that Regragui's squad has remained unbeaten at home for over three years! The coaching staff decided to leave one of their key players, Sofiane Boufal (Al-Rayyan, 46 caps, 8 goals), out of the squad as he has just returned from injury.

Zambia

Zambia, in contrast, has not had a perfect start to the qualifying tournament: the team won against Congo 4-2 in the opening round but then lost to Niger. It's no surprise that the visitors were eliminated in the group stage of the recent African Cup of Nations, failing to win any matches against the DR Congo (1-1), Tanzania (1-1), and Morocco (0-1). In March, the "Chipolopolo" drew with Zimbabwe (2-2) before securing a victory over Malawi (1-2).

Zambia has never participated in World Cups, and it's unlikely they will this time: the team has won only one of their last five away matches. The coaching staff did not experiment with their squad for their June fixtures, relying again on their main players, most of whom play in Africa or minor European leagues. 

Head-to-Head

The last meeting between these teams took place in Côte d'Ivoire and ended with a first-half strike by Hakim Ziyech, knocking out the visitors from the tournament.

Match Prediction: Morocco vs Zambia

Given the superior class and experience of Regragui’s men, Morocco is likely to delight their fans with an outstanding result and thus pull away from their rival in Group E. The hosts have arguably the strongest selection of players on the continent, while Zambia has struggled embarrassingly in recent away matches. My prediction is a triumph for the favourites with a handicap of -1.

Total Prediction

Morocco, with their dazzling attacking line led by Ziyech, will do their utmost to entertain the fans with an abundance of goals. I'll place a bet on the individual total over 1.5 goals for the "Atlas Lions".

Corner Prediction

The hosts are superior in class and will attack more aggressively, so I confidently place a bet on Morocco's individual total over 5.5 corners.

Yellow Cards Prediction

The visitors will have to defend a lot, and doing so without committing fouls against such a star-studded attack is unlikely. I bet on Zambia to win on yellow cards.

Score Prediction

I'll go with a precise scoreline of 2-0 in favour of Morocco.