Zambia vs Morocco prediction: AFRICA: Africa Cup of Nations betting tips on match 2025-12-28 19:00.
[p]Hosts Morocco are looking to lay down a marker for their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) rivals by securing top spot in Group A, which they can achieve by beating Zambia here.[/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]Zambia have shown plenty of fight in this AFCON campaign, battling to draws against Mali (1-1) and most recently Comoros (0-0), but disappointment reigned after they failed to even register a shot on target in the latter of those fixtures. The Copper Bullets are now winless in their last six matches (D2, L4), while their last victory at an AFCON finals came in the final of the 2012 edition when they stunned the continent to lift the trophy (D9, L2 since). Damage control could therefore be crucial to avoiding a fourth successive group stage exit, as Zambia’s goal difference could be key to their chances of progressing as one of the best third placed sides.[/p]
[p]Pre-tournament favourites Morocco were unexpectedly held on matchday two, with a 1-1 draw against Mali – which saw both goals come from the penalty spot – preventing them from wrapping up Group A with a game to spare. Avoiding defeat here would be enough for the Atlas Lions to secure a fifth successive progression to the knockout stages, but the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists will be looking to fire a warning shot to the rest of the competition as they seek to win AFCON for the first time since 1976. [/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]Morocco have won 14 of the prior 22 H2Hs (D2, L6), including each of the last five, two of which came in August and September. Zambia’s last competitive victory over the Atlas Lions came in July 1993.[/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]None of Zambia’s last six AFCON games produced over 2.5 goals.[/p]
[p]Just one of Zambia’s last six competitive internationals saw both teams score.[/p]
[p]Five of Morocco’s last six goals came beyond the 40th minute.[/p]
[p]Morocco are unbeaten in their final AFCON group game since the 2010 edition (W4, D2).[/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]Zambia’s scoring woes are best encapsulated by Lameck Banda’s struggles, who has blanked on his last ten caps since last finding the net in November 2023. After scoring seven times in qualifying, Brahim DĂaz has continued to star in this AFCON campaign with goals in both group games, but he’s never scored in three successive matches in his senior career![/p]
[p]Zambia don’t appear to have any fresh injury issues. Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi is still yet to appear in this tournament[/p]
[p]For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.[/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]Given Zambia’s lack of threat in front of goal, going all in on a Morocco clean-sheet victory seems the smart route to take here.[/p]
[p][i]Author: Ryan Fisher[/i][/p]