Group I's runaway leaders Morocco will be looking to make it five straight victories in their section when they meet Sudan on Friday evening.
Morocco have already advanced to the next round of World Cup 2022 qualification courtesy of four wins from four matches, but Sudan sit at the bottom of the section, boasting just two points from their four games.
Match preview
Sudan have never qualified for the finals of a World Cup and that wait will continue until at least the 2026 edition of the tournament, as they can no longer qualify for next year's competition.
Indeed, a record of two draws and two defeats from their four Group I fixtures has left them bottom of the section on two points, 10 points behind Morocco ahead of Friday's contest between the two sides.
Sudan opened their qualification campaign with back-to-back defeats to Morocco and Guinea-Bissau at the start of September before playing out draws with Guinea during their two games in October.
It was always to be a huge ask for Hubert Velud's team to make an impression in this group, but they can still finish second behind Morocco, which would represent a successful campaign.
© Reuters
Morocco, as expected, have proved to be too strong for the rest of the competition in Group I, boasting four wins from four matches, scoring 14 times and conceding just once during a dominant campaign.
The Atlas Lions recorded back-to-back wins over Sudan and Guinea-Bissau before beating Guinea-Bissau and Guinea in their next two fixtures to ensure that they would be present in the next round of qualification for next year's World Cup.
Vahid Halilhodzic's team, who will finish their Group I campaign at home to Guinea on November 16, were present at the 2018 edition of the tournament, picking up one point from their three matches.
Morocco also reached the knockout round of the 1986 World Cup before competing in 1994 and 1998, with both of those campaigns ending in the group stage.
The Atlas Lions are currently on a seven-game winning run in all competitions, while they have not lost a single match since October 2019, so confidence should be high in the camp heading into this contest.
- L
- L
- D
- D
- L
- W
- L
- L
- D
- D
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Seif Teri is the leading goalscorer in the Sudan squad with nine, and the 27-year-old is likely to be joined in the final third of the field by Muhamed Abdelrahman, who has seven goals in 13 caps for his country.
There is plenty of experience in the Sudan squad, with 34-year-old Akram Al Hadi set to line up between the sticks once again, while Ramadan Agab should earn his 50th cap in a midfield area.
As for Morocco, Sevilla's Yassine Bounou, Paris Saint-Germain's Achraf Hakimi and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Romain Saiss should all start for the visitors.
There is plenty of quality in the forward areas, meanwhile, with Sofiane Boufal, Munir El Haddadi, Youssef En-Nesyri all options to start on Friday.
However, Ryan Mmaee could be given another opportunity to impress in the final third of the field, while Ayoub El Kaabi, who has six goals in 13 caps for his country, could also start.
Sudan possible starting lineup:
Al Hadi; Nimir, Abdalla, Ahmad Adam, Ering; Kamal, El Tahir, Safour, Agab; Abdelrahman, Teri
Morocco possible starting lineup:
Bounou; Chakla, Saiss, Aguerd, El Karouani; Amrabat; Hakimi, Louza, Barkok; El Kaabi, Mmaee
We say: Sudan 0-2 Morocco
There is a big difference in quality between the two teams, and we are finding it difficult to back anything other than a routine win for Morocco, who will be looking to make it eight straight victories in all competitions.
Top tip
Matt Law
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Morocco win with a probability of 47.11%. A draw had a probability of 27.1% and a win for Sudan had a probability of 25.83%.
The most likely scoreline for a Morocco win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.17%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (9.24%) and 1-2 (8.89%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.68%), while for a Sudan win it was 1-0 (9.05%). The actual scoreline of 0-3 was predicted with a 4.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Morocco would win this match.
