Senegal vs Morocco Prediction
🔊 Will Morocco fulfill the dreams of their nation? Walid Regragui's team has made it to the final of the home African Cup of Nations, where they will face Senegal on January 18. The match will take place at the 70,000-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco's capital. A game like this hardly needs extra drama, but it has it, as this will be the teams' first head-to-head clash in the AFCON. Who will emerge victorious?
Interesting Facts:
- AFCON 2026 has become the highest-scoring edition in the tournament's history. By the end of the semifinal stage, 120 goals have been scored. Key contributors to this record are the finalists' leaders-Sadio Mane and Brahim Diaz-each with five goal involvements.
- Both teams have one AFCON trophy to their name. Senegal celebrated victory in 2021, while Morocco last lifted the trophy in 1976.
- In Senegal's three previous AFCON finals, only one goal was scored.
- Morocco's sole Africa Cup triumph came without playing in a final. Back then, the tournament had a different format, without a knockout stage.
Head-to-Head
📊 Over the past 20 years, Senegal and Morocco have faced each other in just one official match. This encounter took place recently, last summer, in the semifinals of the African Nations Championship. The Moroccans emerged victorious in a penalty shootout (5-6) and went on to claim the trophy. However, teams do not field their strongest lineups in this tournament, so the outcome of that semifinal holds little significance in the context of predicting the upcoming match.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
Senegal Team Overview
The Senegal national team arrived in Morocco as one of the main favorites and lived up to that status by reaching their third final since 2019. They are the most consistent team in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in recent years. Under the guidance of Pape Thiaw, they have confidently progressed through the tournament, breaking several of their own records. They have scored in all six of their past matches (a first in their history), netting 12 goals (the highest scoring tally in a single campaign).
Sadio Mane and his teammates have slipped up only once, drawing with DR Congo (1-1) during the group stage. They navigated the last two knockout rounds with a pragmatic approach, securing 1-0 victories. The match against Egypt was particularly impressive, as the "Lions of Teranga" completely neutralized their opponents, allowing just three shots on their goal.
Match Results: Senegal
Morocco Team Overview
The hosts faced immense pressure from the outset, as bookmakers had tagged them as the tournament's favorites. However, this didn't seem to faze the "Atlas Lions" in any way. While they couldn't secure a win against Mali (1-1), they still advanced from the group stage with ease, and that single conceded goal remains their only one in the tournament so far. Yassine Bounou is on the brink of a historic record: keeping a clean sheet in the final would make him the first goalkeeper to achieve six shutouts in a single Africa Cup of Nations.
The goalkeeper was the standout hero in the semifinal against Nigeria (0-0; 4-2 on penalties), saving two shots in the penalty shootout. But let's not overlook Brahim Diaz, who propelled the team to the semifinals by scoring in each of the first five matches of the tournament. The Real Madrid player needs just one more goal to match Ahmed Faras as Morocco's all-time top scorer in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Match Results: Morocco
Latest news
Senegal
🎙 "We are absolutely thrilled to have reached the final. It wasn't easy facing such a strong team like Egypt. My players were determined to win, and that determination was evident on the pitch. I give credit to Egypt-they played well and gave us a great match. Now, we'll focus on preparing for the final and put all our efforts into it," commented Pape Thiaw on his team's semifinal victory.
❌ Following the semifinal, Senegal will be without two key players. Kalidou Koulibaly and Habib Diarra will miss the crucial match due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Morocco
🎙 Walid Regragui after the semifinal victory: “I want to thank everyone who supported us. We received incredibly touching messages that had a significant impact on us. I thank the players and the Moroccan fans who truly deserved this success. We've overcome a lot, and reaching the Africa Cup of Nations final on home soil is a wonderful gift. Now we need to focus on recovery because we've exerted tremendous effort. We played extra time, and the match was tough, taking a lot of energy. Congratulations to the Nigerian team and coach Eric Chelle for a job well done, and congratulations to our players and fans, because we all fought together without exception.”
❌ During the tournament, Morocco lost Azzedine Ounahi and Romain Saïss to injuries. The midfielder will not play in the final, and the captain's participation is still in doubt.
⚽️ Goal Predictions
Morocco have yet to concede a goal from open play in this tournament, while Senegal have kept clean sheets in their last two stages. The question remains whether there will be any goals in the final, let alone both teams finding the net. Therefore, a bet on both teams to score (no) seems appealing.
🚩 Corner Predictions
Morocco have delivered more than 3.5 corners in eight consecutive Africa Cup of Nations matches, while Senegal have done so in ten. However, the final won't be an open affair, and without a plethora of chances, set-piece opportunities will be limited. As such, we lean towards under 8.5 total corners, a bet that has hit in six of Morocco's last seven AFCON matches.
Editor's Prediction
It's time to draw conclusions. Morocco will have the advantage of a home crowd, with the stadium decked out in red-a significant factor! However, Senegal bring their own advantage: extensive experience in finals, having made it a habit to reach them consistently. The hosts boast a formidable lineup, yet Walid Regragui's squad expended considerable energy in the semifinals. Consequently, we don't see a clear favorite and believe the teams won't settle it in regular time. We anticipate a cautious approach from both sides, focusing on defense, leading to a goalless draw at 0-0. Scores24's key bet for the AFCON 2025 final is under 2 goals total.
Betting Tips: Senegal - Morocco
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Comparison of Teams Stats
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