Morocco vs. Egypt: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

On Thursday night in Nantes, regional rivals Morocco and Egypt will compete for bronze in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Both teams are now vying for Egypt's first-ever football gold, with the Atlas Lions falling to Spain in Monday's semi-finals and the Pharaohs losing to hosts France in extra time.

Previous Matches and Head to head

With confidence high after sweeping Group B and advancing past Argentina and the US in the quarterfinals, Morocco faced Spain in the semi-finals with the hopes of advancing to the gold medal match.

However, the Atlas Lions' incredible run came to an end at Stade Velodrome, when a second-half comeback by Spain crushed their dreams; they let a lead to slip and lost 2-1 after chief marksman Soufiane Rahimi scored from the penalty spot.

As extra time approached, the Moroccan team's attempt to emulate the senior team's World Cup victory against La Roja was unsuccessful due to an equalizer by Fermin Lopez in the 66th minute and a second goal by the Barcelona star, who set up Juanlu Sanchez.

Tarik Sektioui's youthful squad will play in Thursday's consolation game to decide who receives the bronze medal, while Walid Regragui's squad finished fourth in Qatar and lost the third-place playoff.

After winning last year's Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, defeating Egypt in the final, they will face the Pharaohs again in a high-stakes rematch.

On July 25, 2024, at Nantes's La Beaujoire Stadium, the men's national football team will play the Dominican Republic in a Group C match.

In order to keep their hopes of winning a medal at the Olympic Games football event alive, Egypt needed a late equalizer before eliminating Paraguay in the quarterfinals. On Monday, they will face the tournament hosts in the semi-finals.

Despite taking a lead with ten minutes remaining, the Pharaohs were denied a spot in the final when France rallied to win 3-1 in Lyon's extra time thanks to goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta.

The Crystal Palace forward tied the game after Mahmoud Saber scored from close range; after Omar Fayed's dismissal for a second bookable offense, he headed Les Bleus ahead; Michael Olise later made the final scoreline even more glaring.

Even yet, Rogerio Micale's squad has improved upon Egypt's worst Olympic showings—quarterfinal exits in 2012 and 2013—in spite of this.

Their prospects of avenging themselves on Morocco, who toppled them as Under-23 AFCON winners last summer, would be high after they defeated Spain to top Group C and then went so close to beating France in the semi-finals.

Morocco x Egypt Team News

Bilal El Khannous, a crucial midfielder who was suspended for Morocco's semi-final loss, will be available to play in Thursday's bronze medal match, where he will support Soufiane Rahimi's strong assault.

Former Barcelona wingers Ilias Akhomach and Abde Ezzalzouli provide help for the Al-Ain striker in the final third. The striker has scored six goals in five games so far.

Right defender Achraf Hakimi, who captained the Atlas Lions last summer, was instrumental in Morocco's historic fourth-place finish in Qatar 2022 and will now want to improve upon that performance in France.

Meanwhile, Omar Fayed will miss this match for Egypt due to a red card and subsequent suspension. The central defender will be looking back on his first booking, for which he protested a penalty that was later disallowed due to video assistant referee intervention, with a heavy heart.

It would be great to see Ibrahim Adel, who has scored three goals in five games (two against Spain, a late equalizer in the quarter-finals, and the winning penalty kick in a penalty shootout), Osama Faisal, and Zizo back together as an attacking trio.

Pharaohs captain Mohamed Elneny, 32 years old and one of only two overage players chosen by Brazilian coach Rogerio Micale, often lines up in a 4-1-2-3 system, protecting the back four.

Our Predictions

Morocco to win @1.84 on Sky247.ng

The historic bronze medal is on the line in this matchup between two evenly matched teams, which might cause them to rein down their aggressive tendencies a little. Although both teams have talented players in the final third, Morocco, a growing football power, could emerge victorious in what promises to be an exciting match.

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