Morocco vs Angola

Stade Adrar is the venue as Morocco and Angola face off against each other in an international friendly.

Back to action for the first time since a disheartening last-16 exit from January’s Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco will be desperate to make amends against an Angola side they’ve failed to beat across their last two H2Hs (D1, L1). Not just that, Walid Regragui’s side drew a blank in both those meetings. Scoring hasn’t been Morocco’s strong suit despite their star-studded squad, as witnessed by their underwhelming average of 0.66 goals per game across their last three internationals. Morocco’s imminent return to home soil might help, with the Atlas Lions netting precisely three goals in their two most recent home outings (W2). But there’s no room for complacency, knowing they had only scored once in their three previous such contests (W1, D2).

Unlike Morocco, Angola made a standout achievement in Ivory Coast a few months ago, reaching the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals for the first time since 2010, only to lose 1-0 to beaten finalists Nigeria. That defeat hampered Angola’s impressive run of three consecutive victories via an aggregate score of 8-2, all of which saw Pedro Goncalves’ team bag 2+ goals. Discarding games staged on neutral ground, the Black Sable Antelopes are unbeaten in six of their last seven internationals on foreign soil (W2, D4), with three of those four draws producing a tepid 0-0 scoreline. Against this backdrop, Angola’s visits to Morocco have traditionally yielded high-scoring fixtures, with their three previous H2Hs on Moroccan turf featuring over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet.