Kick-off: 1600, 10/01/2022
Stadium: Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo
TV: Sky Sports
Morocco and Ghana are both expected to qualify from Group C at the Africa Cup of Nations and may settle for a share of the spoils first up.
Gabon could possibly gatecrash the top two spots but Comoros look out of their depth, so starting out with a draw would be a solid result for each of these sides.
Punters can get 3.0 for a stalemate in Yaounde and that makes sense for our opening Morocco vs Ghana prediction.
Morocco Odds
Morocco’s sole success in this competition came way back in 1976 and they have not reached the final since 2004.
However, the Atlas Lions have an experienced manager in Vahid Halilhodzic and some very smart performers on the pitch this time around.
Hakim Ziyech and Adel Taarabt are notable absentees but PSG wing-back Achraf Hakimi would feature prominently in our list of the top 10 players present in Cameroon this month.
Wolves defender Romain Saiss is a rock-solid captain, while Sevilla forwards Youssef En-Nesyri and Munir El Haddadi are among a number of squad members attached to strong European clubs.
Another name to note is Ayoub El Kaabi, who scored plenty of goals during Morocco’s back-to-back triumphs at the second-tier African Nations Championship in 2018 and 2020.
He is among the leading marksmen in the Turkish Super Lig this season, helping Hatayspor to reach fifth place at the halfway stage.
El Kaabi scored five times in six straight World Cup qualifying wins last year and is a worthy 4.5 favourite to break the deadlock in the Morocco vs Ghana odds.
Ghana Odds
Ghana warmed up for this tournament with a worrying 3-0 loss to Algeria in Qatar but usually come good when it matters most.
The Black Stars have lifted the trophy four times and reached the semi-finals on six consecutive occasions between 2008 and 2017.
That sequence ended in 2019, but Ghana were only beaten on penalties by Tunisia after topping their pool.
Edging out South Africa in a hard-fought World Cup group was a feather in the cap for Milovan Rajevac after he returned for a second stint in charge last September.
The Serbian coach led the Black Stars to the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals during his first spell.
Many pundits feel the current squad is short on star quality, but Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey stands out and the Ayew brothers Jordan and Andre are still present up front.
Leicester’s Daniel Amartey and Reading duo Andy Yiadom and Baba Rahman are other familiar faces in defence.
In what could prove a cagey contest, let’s go with 4.0 for the scores to be level at half-time and full-time to finish off our Morocco vs Ghana betting tips.
Additional stats
Last competitive result:
MOROCCO 2-2 Algeria (3-5 on pens)
GHANA 1-0 South Africa
Head-to-head: Morocco 1-0 Ghana, Ghana 2-0 Morocco, Ghana 2-0 Morocco
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