Egypt vs Morocco Odds, Picks & Predictions: Olympic Men's Soccer

Egypt and Morocco seek their first-ever Olympic medal in men’s soccer when they meet in Thursday’s bronze-medal match in Nantes. 

Egypt nearly pulled off a massive upset over the host nation, but couldn’t get the job done and fell in extra time. They’ll hope to still claim a medal by reversing the result in last year’s U-23 AFCON final where they fell to Morocco in extra time. But the Atlas Lions come into this match a bit fresher, playing much better offensively, and riding Sofiane Rahimi’s purple patch.

Find out where the best betting value lies in our Egypt vs Morocco predictions for Thursday, August 8. 

Egypt vs. Morocco prediction and best bet

Morocco digs deep

Match prediction
Morocco moneyline (-130)

My analysis

With just 10 minutes to go in the semi-final, Egypt thought they were going to pull off a massive upset over France. But Jean-Philippe Mateta leveled seven minutes from time, and then Egypt fell in extra time after going a man down shortly into the additional half hour.

Now they must regroup against a Moroccan side that has been outstanding in attack throughout the competition while having exerted themselves much more. Morocco lost in regulation to Spain, but they come into this match healthy and having midfielder Bilal El Khannous back from suspension. 

Goals have been tough to come by for Egypt, with just five goals in the entire competition—one fewer than Soufiane Rahimi has scored on his own for Morocco. Only three players have found the back of the net, and lacking a reliable goal-scorer is rarely good for a side in a big match like this.

Morocco’s going to have more playmakers, less fatigue, and are playing better. Egypt will do their best to sit back and defend, but they’re down a starting defender and will eventually wear down. Bank on Morocco finding a way through within regulation and earning the bronze medal, as they defeat Egypt’s U-23 side for the third time in four years. 

Bronze and a Golden boot

My best bet
Soufiane Rahimi anytime goalscorer (+200)

My analysis

There is more than just a bronze medal on the line for Rahimi, whose six goals through five matches have him two clear of Fermin Lopez of Spain and France’s Mateta. A goal on Thursday would likely be more than enough to secure him the tournament’s Golden Boot award.

Speaking of Mateta, it was his brace that prevented Egypt from playing for gold. One of two strikers for France, he caused problems for the Egyptian backline all match and scored once in regulation before bagging the winner in extra time. He managed five shots on the day, putting four on goal.

For Rahimi, he’s going to face a bit less resistance here. Starting Egyptian center-back Omar Fayed was sent off against France, earning a second yellow card two minutes into extra time. That’s bad news for a side that has been conceding shots against central strikers in the past few matches at a high rate.

When these sides met at the 2021 U-23 AFCOn tournament, Moroccan striker Yanis Begraoui led the line in a 4-2-3-1 setup and scored their only goal in regulation. This iteration of the Moroccan side plays the same setup, and he’s scored a goal in every single match of the competition thus far.

Rahimi will get opportunities to score, and as the team’s penalty taker, he’s got an elevated likelihood of finding the back of the net. At +200, he’s priced in a great spot and I’d grab this number while it lasts. 

Egypt vs Morocco odds

• Moneyline: Egypt +375 | Morocco -133
• Draw: +250
• Over/Under: Over 2.5 | Under 2.5

Egypt vs Morocco game info

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