Morocco - DR Congo predictions and free betting tips [21/01/2024]

Today, in the second round of the Africa Cup of Nations Group F, Morocco and DR Congo will go head-to-head.

Morocco Team

In the first round of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Morocco team, living up to its status as favourites with an impressive line-up, confidently defeated Tanzania with a score of 2:0. Premier League defender Sess scored the first goal at the 30th minute, then Ounahi increased the score at the 77th minute after receiving assists from Adli. Moroccan player En-Nesyri scored the third goal at the 80th minute, assisted by Hakimi. Morocco's success was aided by an expulsion of a Tanzanian player at the 69th minute.

Morocco approaches the Africa Cup of Nations as one of the tournament favourites, following a successful World Cup run where the team reached the quarter-finals. The team still includes superstar Achraf Hakimi from PSG, as well as Hakim Ziyech. Some key players such as Yassin Bounou, Romain Saiss, and Sofiane Boufal moved to the Middle East but they still lead the main team. Sometimes, the 20-years-old centre-back Shadi Riad from Real Betis, owned by Barcelona, replaces the team captain. Young Bayer player Amin Adli, who already assisted in the first round, and Sofian's clubmate Abde Ezzalzouli may replace Boufal.

Also returned to the team is Amin Harit, who missed the World Cup due to injury and can operate on the flanks. His position could also be taken by Saibari of PSV and El-Hannus from Genk. The principal player in the attack remains Youssef En-Nesyri from Sevilla; his competitors will be Tarik Tissoudali, who missed the World Cup due to injury, and Ayoub El Kaabi from Olympiakos who has an excellent season.

DR Congo Team

In the first round of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Democratic Republic of Congo drew 1:1 against Zambia, showing confident play but suffered losses due to mistakes in the defence and misfortune. The team dominated the ball 56% of the game time and made 25 shots, of which three were on goal. The Congo DR scored a goal by Wissa after an assist from Bakambu at the 27th minute, responding to Kangwa's goal made after a goalie error during a throw-in. After this, the Congolese dominated the game, but failed to score the winning goal.

The Democratic Republic of Congo team boasts a strong line-up with top-league players, especially in defence, where footballers from the French league stand out. On the defensive flanks, the Leopards are well served: Kalyulu of Lorient plays on the right, and Arthur Masuaku, formerly of the Premier League, on the left. However, there lacks a decent partner for Chancel Mbemba in central defence. In the midfield, the key player is the former Chelsea player Gael Kakuta. Brentford player Yoan Wissa constantly plays on one of the attacking flanks. The second flank is contended between Theo Bongonda of Spartak Moscow and Silas Katompa-Mvumpa of VfB Stuttgart. In attack, the team's main star is former Villarreal player Cedric Bakambu, while the top scorer of the Portuguese championship, Simon Banza from SC Braga, plays as the second striker.

Head to Head Meets

In the last head-to-head matches during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Morocco convincingly won 4:1 over DR Congo. The previous meeting on March 25, 2022, ended in a draw 1:1. Similarly, a draw 1:1 was recorded in a friendly match on October 13, 2020.

Prediction for the match Morocco - DR Congo

Yes, the Congolese looked very good in the first match against Zambia, but by composition and ambition, the Moroccans are heads above. Hakimi, Ziyech and company can resolve all group-out issues today and will definitely play in an optimal line-up. I would predict a victory for Morocco.
The latest matches before the Africa Cup of Nations on January 11, 2024, saw Morocco winning over Sierra Leone with a score of 3:1. On November 21, 2023, the team defeated Tanzania with a score of 2:0. These results suggest that Morocco is in excellent form and ready to produce high results in the upcoming tournament.