Morocco vs Gabon - prediction, team news, lineups

After a coagulated World Cup campaign, Morocco footwear disconnected their bid for different Africa Cup of Nations quality erstwhile they invited Gabon to the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium connected Friday evening.

Both nations find themselves successful a acquainted qualifying bracket, with Lesotho besides having featured alongside them successful the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, portion Niger completes Group A successful the 2027 campaign.

Match preview

Although Morocco fell abbreviated of their historical semi-final feat from the 2022 World Cup, Mohamed Ouahbi tin beryllium satisfied with however his broadside competed astatine this year's planetary tourney successful North America, peculiarly fixed the abbreviated play helium had to enactment his stamp connected the team.

The 49-year-old took implicit the reins successful March pursuing Walid Regragui's departure aft the Atlas Lions’s drama-filled AFCON 2025 last against Senegal, having antecedently guided the country's Under-20s to the World Cup rubric successful Chile. 

Following CAF's determination to record January's continental last arsenic a 3-0 forfeit triumph successful Morocco's favour, the North African federation inactive had plentifulness to beryllium connected the transportation and did truthful by holding Brazil to a gully successful their World Cup opener earlier edging Scotland and past overcoming Haiti to decorativeness 2nd successful Group C.

The Atlas Lions’s travel yet ended successful the quarter-finals pursuing a 2-0 nonaccomplishment to France, though victories implicit the Netherlands connected penalties successful the circular of 32 and co-hosts Canada successful the past 16 had already fixed the African federation different memorable run.

Now returning to enactment much than 2 months aft their World Cup exit, Morocco, who are presently placed sixth successful the FIFA World Rankings, volition look to statesman their AFCON qualifying run connected a cleanable enactment aft signaling a cleanable expanse of their Group B bracket successful the 2025 preliminaries to decorativeness apical of the table.

The Atlas Lions besides person a formidable grounds connected location soil, having remained unbeaten successful regularisation clip since a 3-1 affable nonaccomplishment to Burkina Faso successful July 2025, a tally that besides includes their AFCON 2025 run astatine this aforesaid stadium.

Meanwhile, Gabon were besides portion of that 2025 qualifying group, making it unsurprising that they bash not person the strongest caller head-to-head grounds against Friday's opponents aft suffering 4-1 and 5-1 defeats successful the 2 meetings, portion the Central African federation are present without a triumph successful the past 3 encounters.

The Panthers did decorativeness runners-up successful that bracket to suffice for the continental finals, but their main tourney run proved acold little fruitful arsenic they exited the radical signifier aft losing each 3 matches against Cameroon, Mozambique and Ivory Coast.

That disappointment was somewhat unexpected fixed Gabon's different encouraging World Cup qualifying campaign, wherever they finished 2nd down Group F winners Ivory Coast to gain a spot successful the African playoffs, lone for their hopes of reaching North America to extremity with a 4-1 extra-time decision to Nigeria.

Currently ranked 84th successful the FIFA World Rankings, the Panthers person mislaid 5 of their past six matches, with their lone occurrence during that series coming connected penalties against Trinidad and Tobago successful March's FIFA Series aft a 2-2 draw.

That said, Sebastien Migne’s archetypal competitory duty truthful arrives with Gabon searching for some consistency and a caller attacking identity, peculiarly aft Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's status from planetary football.
 

Morocco signifier (all competitions):

Gabon signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Morocco volition beryllium without skipper Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari done CAF suspension, with some players' bans stemming from incidents during the 2025 AFCON final.

Ouahbi has besides had to contend with respective notable absences, with Ayoub El Kaabi, Chadi Riad, Youssef Belammari, Youssef En-Nesyri and Hamza Igamane among those missing done wounded oregon fittingness issues, portion Sofyan Amrabat made himself unavailable for selection.

The Atlas Lions volition inactive person respective established figures available, with Noussair Mazraoui, Brahim Diaz and Soufiane Rahimi among those expected to play salient roles.

Gabon volition beryllium without Mario Lemina and Jim Allevinah aft some players were ruled retired with injuries, with Clech Loufilou and Randy Essang Matouti subsequently called into Migne's squad arsenic replacements.

The Panthers besides statesman beingness without Aubameyang, who announced his planetary status earlier this month, and they volition present look to Denis Bouanga and Rody Junior Effaghe, among others, to supply the attacking menace antecedently associated with their erstwhile captain.

Migne different has plentifulness of acquisition astatine his disposal, with Aaron Appindangoye, Anthony Oyono, Jeremy Oyono, Andre Poko, Guelor Kanga and Didier Ndong among the elder figures who could beryllium asked to supply stableness during the caller coach's archetypal competitory assignment.

Morocco imaginable starting lineup:

Bounou; Mazraoui, Aguerd, Diop, Salah-Eddine; Ounahi, El Aynaoui; Brahim Diaz, El Khannouss, Ezzalzouli; Rahimi

Gabon imaginable starting lineup:

Amonome; A Oyono, Appindangoye, J Oyono, Ekomie; Poko, Kanga, Ndong; Bouanga, Babicka, Effaghe

We say: Morocco 2-0 Gabon

Morocco should person capable attacking prime to marque their location vantage count, though Gabon's experienced halfway could marque beingness uncomfortable for periods earlier the Atlas Lions' greater extent yet tells.

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