Morocco and Gabon play their first qualifier for AFCON 2025 this week. Our football predictions expert expects a long night for the travelling side.
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Morocco vs Gabon Prediction: Bets, Context, and Lineups
Best Bets for Morocco vs Gabon
- Morocco to Win @1.30 with Betway, representing a 77% chance of Morocco defeating Gabon.
- Over 2.5 Goals @2.00 with Betway, representing a 50% chance of the game having three or more goals scored.
- Goal Scored Between 31-45 Mins @2.60 with Betway, representing a 38% chance of a goal being scored between the 31st and 45th minute.
Morocco will get their 2025 AFCON qualification campaign up and running with a 3-1 win over Gabon.
Our Analysis: Form of Both Teams
Morocco are the home side on Friday evening against Gabon, with the pair last facing off in October 2019 with Gabon running out surprise 3-2 winners in a thrilling five-goal friendly.
Since then, Morocco have been on an upward trajectory, including their deep run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, reaching the semi-finals. They even beat Brazil in a home friendly in March 2023.
Ironically, the last time the Moroccans lost on home soil in a competitive game was against Gabon in the aforementioned October 2019 friendly encounter.
It’s been less dominant for Gabon in 2024, losing two and winning just one of their four competitive games this calendar year.
They were soundly beaten 3-0 by Senegal in a friendly in March, who are ranked narrowly lower than Friday’s opponents, Morocco. Talismanic striker and Saudi Pro League-bound Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored in Gabon’s 3-2 win over Gambia in June and his likely presence in Agadir will give them an undoubted boost.
Probable Lineups for Morocco vs Gabon
The probable lineup for Morocco in 4-2-3-1:
Bounou; Hakimi, Aguerd, Abqar, Dari, Abdelhamid, Amrabat, El Khannouss, Ounahi, Ziyech, Ben Seghir
The probable lineup for Gabon in 4-3-3:
Grandparents; Oyono, Ekomie, Moucketou, Manga, Ngouali, Kanga, Lemina, Bouanga, Allevinah, Aubameyang
Atlas Lions to secure comfortable home win
Given that it’s almost five years since Morocco last lost a competitive fixture on home soil, it’s hard not to back the Atlas Lions for victory here.
Although the Gabonese were the last nation to clinch a win in Morocco, the Moroccan squad has improved significantly in recent years, as they inch towards a top-ten FIFA world ranking.
As for Gabon, they’re currently ranked 83rd in the world. Their joint-biggest ever competitive defeat came in Rabat in November 2006, losing 6-0 to the Moroccans.
Morocco vs Gabon Tip 1: Morocco to Win @1.30 with Betway
Plenty of goals expected with firepower on show
Morocco have averaged 1.43 goals scored per game in their last 10 competitive games. Bearing in mind Gabon’s record of conceding an average of 1.5 goals per game in their previous ten away games, this has all the makings of a high-scoring contest.
The inclusion of Aubameyang for the Panthers also means Gabon will carry a threat on the counter-attack. Meanwhile, Monaco’s in-form forward, Elias Ben Saghir will look to build on his first goal for Morocco in June, having started the 2024/25 Ligue 1 season strongly.
Morocco vs Gabon Tip 2: Over 2.5 Goals @2.00 with Betway
31st-45th minute window looks fruitful for goals
Looking at Gabon’s last ten competitive games, almost half (46%) of the goals they’ve conceded came in the 31st-45th-minute window. Meanwhile, a quarter (25%) of goals scored also came in this period.
Almost a fifth (16%) of Morocco’s goals were scored in this window too. Gabon’s tendency to concede in this period and the odds of 2.60 for a goal to be scored in minutes 31-45 make for a good bet.
Morocco vs Gabon Tip 3: Goal Scored Between 31-45 Mins @2.60 with Betway
