North African heavyweights Tunisia and Morocco meet once again at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations at the Suez Canal Stadium on Ismailia on Wednesday (kick-off 18:00 local time / 15:00 GMT), rekindling a rivalry that dates back to 1981.
The outcome of this Group B match could determine the pool winner, depending on Nigeria’s result against Kenya.
victory for either would see them advance. A draw will be enough for Morocco to progress to the knockout stages. Tunisia, meanwhile, could still advance as one of the best third-placed teams with a draw.
Their previous encounters at the TotalEnergies CAF U20 AFCON include a two-legged first-round clash in 1981 – where each side won 1-0 at home before Tunisia edged through 6-5 on penalties – and a dramatic quarterfinal meeting in 2021, which ended 0-0 before Tunisia advanced with a 4-1 shootout victory in Nouadhibou.
The teams most recently faced off in qualifying for this edition during the 2024 UNAF tournament. That match, held at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia last November, saw Tunisia take an early lead through Khalil Ayari, only for Morocco to come back with second-half goals from Mouad Dahak and Reda Laalaoui to win 2-1.
TUNISIA FACTS
· Tunisia lost their opening game to Nigeria but bounced back with a 3-1 win over Kenya, coming from behind.
· They have never won back-to-back group matches at the tournament.
· The victory over Kenya ended a three-match losing streak in open play.
· Tunisia are aiming for a third quarterfinal appearance, having reached the last eight in 1985, 2021, and 2023.
· In their final group games, Tunisia lost 2-1 to Central African Republic in 2021 and beat Zambia 2-1 in 2023.
· Tunisia have conceded in each of their last six matches at the finals – their last clean sheet came in a 0-0 draw against Benin in 2021.
· Against Kenya, Tunisia attempted 300 passes, 171 of which were in the opposition half.
· They also recorded five shots on target – their highest tally in a match at the current tournament.
MOROCCO FACTS
· Morocco drew 0-0 with Nigeria in their last match and need just a point to reach the knockout rounds for a third straight tournament. They were semi-finalists in 2005 and quarter-finalists in 2021.
· Since the introduction of group stages, Morocco have exited in the first round twice (1993 and 2003) and progressed beyond it in 1997, 2005, and 2021.
· Morocco are unbeaten in their last eight group-stage matches at the finals (W5 D3).
· Their last group-stage loss was a 4-0 defeat to Egypt in 2003.
· In each of their last three tournaments, Morocco have won their opening group match and drawn the second.
· A draw would mark the first time Morocco have had back-to-back group-stage draws.
· Morocco’s record in final group matches stands at P5 W3 L2. Wins include 2-0 vs Senegal (1993), 1-0 vs Angola (2005), and 3-0 vs Tanzania (2021).
· Historically, when Morocco have drawn their second group game, they’ve gone on to win the third (as in 2005 and 2021).
· If they avoid defeat here, Morocco will finish a group stage unbeaten for the fourth time (joining 1997, 2005, and 2021).
· Othmane Maamma has created five chances so far – more than any other Moroccan player in this tournament.
· The draw with Nigeria was the first time across the 2021 and current editions that Morocco failed to register a shot on target.
· Morocco boast five clean sheets in their last six games at the finals, with their only concession being in a 3-2 win over Kenya.
· They have also kept clean sheets in their last group matches in 2005 (1-0 vs Angola), all three group games in 2021, and most recently vs Nigeria.
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