Will the Norwegians prove they’re ready for the World Cup?
Since the controversial Africa Cup of Nations final was retroactively awarded 3-0 to the Atlas Lions, the Moroccan national team has now gone 28 international matches unbeaten (23 wins, five draws). As the official African champions and 2022 World Cup semifinalists, the current No. 8 in the world rankings is by no means a classic underdog anymore. Thus, it would by no means be a sensation if a bet on a victory for the Atlas Lions were to pay off in the Morocco vs. Norway match.
The Norwegian players, who also go by the nickname Lions (Norwegian: Løvene), have also set their sights high for their first World Cup appearance in the current millennium and want to show, with a respectable result against the Moroccans, that they have a real chance of finishing in the top two spots in their challenging Group I, which includes France, Senegal, and Iraq. In fact, our prediction for Morocco vs. Norway leans very slightly toward the Scandinavians.
We attribute this assessment primarily to the sheer offensive power of Norway’s golden generation. Erling Haaland has more international goals (55) than international appearances (49) to his name and has an outstanding playmaker in Martin Ödegaard. And then there’s the clinical Alexander Sörloth.
If this trio gets rolling, the Moroccan defense is in for a rough ride. But with Brahim Diaz, Ayoub El Kaabi, and Soufiane Rahimi, the Atlas Lions also pack a serious punch going forward. The potentially safest bet, which leaves all options open on the three-way market, therefore targets goals from both sides.
On the other hand, those who agree with our assessment that the Scandinavians are slight favorites going into this top-level matchup could also use the handy app to bet on the Match Combo for Double Chance X2 with over 1.5 goals. Overall, the Norwegian team is also favored by the Munich-based bookmaker. ODDSET is offering odds of 2.10 for Morocco vs. Norway on the Lions winning the friendly at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison.
Morocco – Norway Head-to-Head Record
Head to Head: 0 – 1 – 0
There has been only one international match between the two nations, and that game was actually a competitive match during a World Cup.
In 1998, when Norway last qualified for a World Cup finals, the two teams played to a thrilling 2-2 draw in the group stage.
Morocco – Norway Prediction
While the 2022 World Cup semifinalist and reigning African champion certainly has some notable individual talents in its ranks, the Atlas Lions’ true strength lies in their team unity and defensive stability.
This matchup is all the more exciting because the Norwegians, led by Haaland, Øgegaard, and Sørloth, possess tremendous offensive firepower and scored 37 goals in their eight World Cup qualifiers, including two wins over Italy. For the North Africans’ defense, this is exactly the right test of their mettle, after they were practically not challenged at all in their two most recent friendlies against Burundi (5-0) and Madagascar (4-0).
However, we don’t think it’s very likely they’ll keep a clean sheet against the explosive Norwegians. We therefore see the best value in betting that both teams will score.
