Recent matches for Senegal and Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations have once again confirmed that, at the decisive stages of the tournament, these teams take fewer risks. Sadio Mané and his team-mates are likely to rely only on counter-attacks in the final against hosts Morocco, so a high-scoring match in such a scenario is highly unlikely.
Senegal
At the Africa Cup of Nations, Senegal have been impressing with their defensive reliability since the group stage. Across six matches at the tournament, they have conceded only two goals, with four of their five victories overall coming with clean sheets. In the semi-final against Egypt (1:0), the team generated only 0.33 xG over 90 minutes, while the opponents, with Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush in the line-up, accumulated even fewer expected goals (0.22).
Morocco
Morocco have been even more consistent defensively: over the whole Africa Cup of Nations they have conceded only one goal, which came back in the second round of the group stage against Mali (1:1). In the semi-final against dangerous Nigeria (1:0 after penalties), even Brahim Díaz, Ismael Saibari and Bilal El Khannouss could not score; it was difficult for the talented midfielders under pressure from a deep defensive line. Over 120 minutes, the squad allowed only 0.08 xGA, which again underlines that their priority is also defence.
Senegal vs Morocco Prediction
Despite the fact that Senegal and Morocco both have many world-class players in their squads, the Africa Cup of Nations final is unlikely to produce an abundance of goal-scoring chances. The cost of a mistake is too high, so neither side will be willing to take excessive risks.
