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The four quarter-final ties took place at the back end of last week.
On Saturday, Nigeria made it through to a record 17th Africa Cup of Nations semi-final thanks to a convincing 2-0 victory over Algeria. After finishing as runners-up in 2023, the Super Eagles will be looking to go one further this time but first must navigate past a strong Morocco outfit. The Atlas Lions delivered an assured performance in their quarter-final tie, comfortably defeating Cameroon in Rabat. Having last won this competition way back in 1976, the hosts will be desperate to end their 50-year drought on home soil.
The other semi-final sees Senegal face Egypt at the Ibn Batouta Stadium. The Lions of Teranga narrowly defeated Mali in the last round, while Egypt booked their place in the semi-final thanks to a thrilling 3-2 win over defending champions Ivory Coast. These two teams met in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final, which saw Senegal prevail following a nerve-shredding penalty shootout. Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah both featured in that tight contest just under four years ago, and the former Liverpool teammates are set to once again go toe-to-toe on Wednesday evening.
Morocco v Nigeria: Wednesday, January 14th, 20:00 (GMT)
This is Morocco's first appearance in the AFCON semi-finals for more than two decades, having not featured in the last four since eventually finishing as runners-up in 2004. The Moroccans have exploited their home advantage throughout the competition, and are now considered favourites to be crowned champions. As Walid Regragui favours a pragmatic approach, the Atlas Lions aren't always the most entertaining side to watch. However, they're extremely impressive from a defensive perspective, having not conceded a single goal from open play at this year's Africa Cup of Nations.
With a partisan home crowd behind them and the in-form Brahim Díaz enjoying a goalscoring purple patch, Morocco will be an extremely difficult team to overcome.
Nigeria have arguably performed better than any other side in Morocco. Having already scored 14 goals, the Super Eagles are the competition's current top scorers. They dominated Algeria for the entire 90 minutes during Saturday's quarter-final clash, with Nigeria's deadly attacking duo causing mayhem throughout. Galatasaray frontman Victor Osimhen has netted four times in the tournament so far, while London-born Ademola Lookman boasts seven direct goal involvements (three goals/four assists).
We fully expect this to be a tight semi-final, so don't be surprised if this one goes to extra-time or even penalties. Although there's little to seperate these two sides, playing on home soil may just give Morocco a slight edge.
Prediction: Morocco to qualify @ 13/10 (bet365)
Explanation: The bet lands if Morocco progress to the final, regardless of whether they do this by winning in the regulation 90 minutes, extra-time, or a penalty shootout.
Senegal v Egypt: Wednesday, January 14th, 17:00 (GMT)
Senegal have played with a quiet confidence throughout this year's Africa Cup of Nations. Pape Thiaw's men cruised through the group stages and handled the first two knockout rounds with minimal fuss, sweeping aside Sudan in the last sixteen before edging past Mali in Tangier. Their quarter-final opponents admittedly played more than half the match with 10 men after Spurs midfielder Yves Bissouma saw red just before the interval, but the Lions of Teranga were nevertheless good value for their win.
Meanwhile, Egypt are growing in stature with every passing round. The Pharaohs reached the last eight without ever really hitting top gear, although they did need extra time to overcome a stubborn Benin outfit in the Round of 16 following a solid if unspectacular group stage campaign. A dramatic quarter-final meeting with the Ivory Coast came next, with Egypt prevailing 3-2 despite not creating too many clear-cut goalscoring opportunities. Although Senegal boast the quality of the likes of Sadio Mané and Idrissa Gueye, the seven-time AFCON winners head into this tie with plenty of momentum. Their all-Premier League attacking duo of Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush are hitting form at the right time, having netted six goals between them in the competition so far.
Buoyed by their narrow win over the holders, the Pharaohs will be confident of eliminating a Senegal side who are yet to face one of the continent's heavyweights at this year's competition. It's likely to be a close contest, but Egypt should have too much quality for their opponents.
Prediction: Egypt to qualify @ 10/3 (bet365)
Explanation: The bet lands if Egypt progress to the final, regardless of whether they do this by winning in the regulation 90 minutes, extra-time, or a penalty shootout.
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