Ivory Coast vs Morocco Prediction: Expect a match with high intensity

On Saturday, the international friendly match between Ivory Coast and Morocco will take place at Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny. The two countries are both considered heavyweights on the African continent. Both teams have won the majority of their games since the start of the year, and the matchup that will take place this weekend is shaping up to be a battle that will be fiercely contested.

The match between the Eagles of Mali and the Ivory Coast, which was scheduled to take place at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on September 12, was cut short owing to adverse weather conditions. The team coached by Jean-Louis Gasset was dominant for significant portions of the game, but they were unable to score before the game was called off due to the halftime break. The Indomitable Lions were successful in their most recent competitive outing, as they won their final AFCON qualifier by a score of 1-0 over Lesotho. The next test will come from an opposing team that has gone undefeated in the previous four iterations of this competition without allowing a single goal to be scored against them. A win in front of their fans on Saturday would be a great morale booster for the home team as they prepare for another high-profile game three days later against South Africa.

When Morocco and Burkina Faso met on September 12 at Estadio Bollaert-Delelis, Morocco emerged victorious with a slim 1-0 victory to put an end to the threat posed by Burkina Faso. Through Azzedine Ounahi, the men led by Walid Regragui put their noses in front 10 minutes before the halftime whistle, and that was enough to get the job done. This came as a result of the Atlas Lions' previous loss to South Africa in their penultimate Africa Cup of Nations qualification match. The final score was 2-1 in favor of South Africa. The visitors on Saturday will be going for a three-game win streak for the first time since the World Cup in 2022 when they take on Liberia in their final African Cup of Nations qualifying match on Saturday.

Ivory Coast possible starting lineup:

Sangare; Ndicka, Diomande, Kossounou; Bamba, Sangare, Seri, Aurier; Adingra, Zaha, Haller

Morocco possible starting lineup:

Bono; Mazraoui, Saiss, Aguerd, Hakimi; Amallah, Ounahi, Harit; En-Nesyri, Adli, Ezzalzouli

Despite the fact that three of these games were played away from home, Les Éléphants have failed to score in each of their most recent four matchups against the visitors. They have gone two straight home matches against the visitors without picking up a victory, so they will be looking to get back to winning ways. The head coach, Jean-Louis Gasset, has selected a quality team to compete in the exhibition games. Wilfred Zaha and Seko Fofana are expected to play prominent roles in the lineup. In their last 20 games played at home, in all competitions, they have only been defeated twice, and one of those losses was decided by penalty kicks. The Atlas Lions have only won two games so far in 2023, and both of those victories came in friendly contests played at home. They have won three of their past four games across all competitions, and they will aim to rely on the defensive strength they have displayed in those games to help them win this encounter. Walid Regragui, the team's head coach, has selected a formidable 26-man squad to compete in the match. However, prominent players such as Abderrazak Hamdallah, Walid Cheddira, and Jawad El Yamiq will not be participating. The last time these two teams played one another was in 2019, so it's reasonable to expect a low-scoring draw given both of their recent performances and their overall track records.