Morocco-Tanzania : Match Of Extremes

Expectations for Morocco in this 2023 Africa Cup of Nations ongoing in Côte d’Ivoire have arguably never been this higher. This is given that the team made history in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar by becoming the first African side to reach the semi-finals of the global showpiece. The Atlas Lions are thus the highest ranked African team in the recent FIFA ranking occupying the 13th position globally. 
It is on this posture that the Moroccans kick-off their 2023 AFCON campaign against Tanzania today January 17, 2024 as from 6 p.m. Cameroon time. The game will be played at the Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro. Tanzania is at its third appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations after 1980 and 2019. They finished bottom of their group on both occasions. Morocco on the other hand is at its 19th appearance in the competition with a trophy in their cupboard. The Atlas Lions are evidently favourites on paper. 
This will be the first encounter between Morocco and Tanzania at the Africa Cup of Nations. They last met in November 2023 during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and Morocco won 2-0 in Dar-es-Salaam. Putting together the statistics of both teams, the game can be characterized as a m...