The second AFCON Group C match taking place on Friday is an intriguing one as co hosts Gabon look to build on a winning start against a Morocco side who are desperate to get their own campaign up and running.

Morocco were turned over 2-1 by Tunisia in their opening game whilst co-hosts Gabon were quickly out of the blocks with a 2-0 win over Niger. It all means this is really set up nicely and as this game follows the earlier meeting between Tunisia and Niger, both these teams will have a clearer picture of what constitutes a satisfactory result just before kick off.

For Morocco this is bordering on being a must win game. They do face Niger, presumably the weakest side of the quartet, in their final group game but anything other than a win here would leave their chances of reaching the quarter final's out of their own hands. They missed a number of chances in the loss to Tunisia and were caught cold a couple of times in defence but they did play some decent football at times and I wouldn't write off their chances of progressing from the group.

Gabon had been struggling for goals in their warm up matches for this tournament but they found the net twice in the first half against Niger and were comfortable winners. As co-hosts they have raised expectations of their people but their confidence will have rocketed for this game which looks an awful lot tougher now that Morocco are living on the edge. A draw would almost certainly be looked on favourably however they don't look like “park the bus” material to me, especially in front of a highly enthusiastic home crowd.

The most recent meetings between these nations came in World Cup (2010) qualifying. Neither side made the finals, Gabon were runners up to Cameroon and Morocco were a huge let down finishing bottom of the group. The head to heads, both of which took place in 2009 saw Gabon do the double with a 2-1 win in Morocco and 3-1 victory in the return. However, Morocco look a much better side now than they were two years ago and I'm not going to put too much emphasis on those results.

The Betting, Match Result

Gabon 28/10 BetXchange

Draw 22/10 Ladbrokes

Morocco 1.35/1 Sportsbet

Selected Others

Over 2.5 goals, 13/10 Voltbet

Both teams to score (yes) 17/20 Sportingbet

Half Time Result, Draw 11/10 Sportsbet

Correct Score, 1-1 at 5/1 Ladbrokes, Sportingbet

Correct score 1-2 at 8.7/1 Sportsbet

Note, odds are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change. Not all bookmakers had priced up at the time of writing and many more markets are available. Watch out for the option to bet “in play” where available

Analysis

I'm really looking forward to this one, a host nation with their tails up against a classier outfit battling to stay in the tournament. If Tunisia beat Niger earlier in the day then it heaps pressure on both teams but especially Morocco and it should guarantee the North African's adopt a very positive approach early on. Gabon were pretty “gung ho” themselves in the first half of their game with Niger and it paid off but this opposition is tougher and even if they are a touch more cautious here, I reckon they will still be hard pushed to keep a clean sheet. With the Moroccan defence hardly covering itself in glory in their opening match, I'll take a chance Gabon will also find the net and that leads me to my picks, both of which come in the correct score market where I have the draw and a narrow Morocco win running for me.

Bet: Correct Score, 1-1 draw at 5/1 Ladbrokes, Sportingbet

Correct score Morocco to win 2-1 at 8.7/1 with Sportsbet

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