Morocco and Congo DR, who will open their playoff with the first leg at Stade des Martyrs on Sunday, face each other with just 180 minutes of soccer, separating them from a place in the 2022 FIFA World Cup with kickoff at 6 pm.
Morocco outclassed every other African side in the previous stage of the qualifiers as they won all six of their Group I games by a combined score of 20-1.
At the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, though, Vahid Halilhodzic’s men failed to replicate that form and fell to Egypt, who would beat Ghana in the final.
Morocco has only appeared at the World Cup finals five times before and will fancy their chances of winning this one; Congo DR has never got this far before. Morocco has won only two of 11 matches against Congo DR; their last victory came in a friendly 16 years ago.
Friday’s visitors have not lost a match lasting 90 minutes since 2020, and they are on pace to qualify for the 2022 World Cup with a win against Congo DR.
Congo DR finished first in Group J, having amassed 11 points from six matches, including a 2-0 victory over Benin. Although the team did not participate in January’s Africa Cup of Nations, it played Bahrain (a friendly) in February and lost 1-0.
DR Congo vs. Morocco Head to Head
Both sides have three games against each other, with each side taking one win and one draw. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Bahrain 1-0 DR Congo
- DR Congo 2-0 Benin
- Tanzania 0-3 DR Congo
- Madagascar 1-0 DR Congo
- DR Congo 2-0 Madagascar
Away
- Egypt 2-1 Morocco
- Morocco 2-1 Malawi
- Gabon 2-2 Morocco
- Morocco 2-0 Comoros
- Morocco 1-0 Ghana
DR Congo Team News
Cedric Bakambu and Dieumerci Mbokani have scored 35 international goals between them and will be heavily relied upon to provide firepower in attack at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. Porto defender Chancel Mbemba is set to make his 65th appearance for Congo DR, which would see him move to second place in the all-time charts.
Morocco Team News
Hakim Ziyech has announced his retirement from international football due to his feud with head coach Halilhodzic. Youssef En-Nesyri hasn’t scored in any of his last 12 outings across all competitions, but the Sevilla man is expected to lead the line nonetheless.
Prediction and Odds
Morocco boasts the better team on paper, but Congo DR’s home form could make this a close game.
- Draw
- Double Chance
- Goals Under 2.5
