Morocco vs United States, Olympics Football 2024, Today Match Prediction

Morocco vs United States Match Prediction & Analysis

The group stage is complete, and the knockout rounds are set to begin. In the first quarterfinal, Morocco will face the United States at the Parc des Princes in Paris on July 2nd at 6:30 p.m. IST. This will be the second meeting between the two teams at this level, with Morocco emerging victorious in their previous encounter.

Both teams advanced from their respective groups with identical records of two wins and one loss. Morocco secured their place in the knockout stage by defeating Iraq 3-0, while the USMNT had to win their final two matches to progress, including a 3-0 victory over Guinea U23.

The winner of this match will face the victor of Egypt and Paraguay in the second semifinal on August 6 at 12:30 p.m. IST.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Morocco Preview

After suffering a heartbreaking defeat in the dying moments of the game against Ukraine in their second group match, Tarik Sektioui's side didn't wait that long to finish off Iraq in their final group game. They killed the match in the first half itself by scoring three goals and winning  the match in the most convincing manner. The Lions were so dominant that they held a possession of 77% in the first half with 12 shots, 6 shots on target, and created 4 big chances while converting them into three goals. Overall, they managed to keep 74% in the game.

So far, in competition, the Moroccans have scored 6 goals while conceding just 3 and maintaining a clean sheet. It is impressive,  especially from the standpoint of the goals they scored, as their xG after three games read 0.81 and they made 2 per game, i.e., an xG vs. Actual ( goals scored against the expected goals) of +1.19, which is the fourth best in this competition. 

When it comes to performances, striker Soufiane Rahimi stood out with four goals and two assists. Other notable mentions will be captain Hakimi (1 assist and 6 key passes), midfielder Bilal El Khannous ( 1 assist and 8 key passes), and Osssma Targhalline ( 5 interceptions and 94.5% pass accuracy). 

In terms of changes, we expect no change in the starting 11 that played against Iraq as Tarik Sektioui resorted back to the tactics that brought him success against the Argentinians on game 1 as Akhomach came back into the 11 and Abde went  back to the left flank (scored against Iraq). 

Morocco Probable Starting XI - Mohamedi (Goalkeeper); Hakimi, El Azzouzi, Boukamir, Ouahdi (Defenders); Targhalline, Richardson, Ilias Akkomach, Abde (Midfielders);  Soufiane Rahimi, El Khannouss (Forwards)

United States Preview

The USMNT, like Morocco, won their last encounter convincingly and advanced to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the USMNT had only 32% possession throughout the match, but their shot accuracy was remarkable, with 9 of 14 shots on target. 

Kevin Pardes scored twice, and Dorde Mihailovic scored the game's first goal. The two are the tournament's best performers for the USMNT.  Kevin Pardes, while being an aggressive midfielder, works hard off the ball and contributes to his team's defence, making him an important member of this squad. 

After the first rounds of the competition, he had two goals, one assist, nine critical passes (among the best in the competition), and a 66% success rate in ground duels. At the same time, he has been well aided by Dorde Mihailovic, with two goals, four key passes, and five interceptions. 

In terms of overall numbers, the USMNT has scored 7, conceded 4, had a 44% possession rate, and managed a clean sheet in one of the games. Marko Mitrovic is expected to make no changes on Friday and will most likely deploy a 4-3-3 formation, but he may opt for a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 combination to counter the threat of Moroccan wingers. 

USA Probable Starting XI - Schulte(Goalkeeper); Tolkin, Robinson, Zimmerman, Harriel(Defenders); Tessmann, McGlynn,p Mihailovic (Midfielders); Aaronson, Parades, McGuire (Forwards) 

MOROCCO vs UNITED STATES
Winning Prediction

Morocco is a team that likes to press forward and take control of possession, while the USA will be happy to sit back and hit on the counters, which they have done effectively. The fate of the quarter final clash will be determined by who can take advantage of the other on the flanks as both teams are equally matched there. Considering it is a quarterfinal, the game is expected to be cagey with few opportunities in between. As a result, the side that can make the best use of their few opportunities will win, and the United States has excelled at this. 

Overall in the competition, the USMNT has had a higher xG than Morocco (0.92 versus 0.81, which is not much), which means they have generated more chances, and more chances equals more scoring possibilities. Meanwhile, xG for the game is predicted to be 3.50. Finally, according to our prediction, the USA will win this by the barest of margins. 

USA U-23 to Win (1-2)

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