The first round of pool fixtures at the delayed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations comes to a head on Wednesday, with Group F taking centre stage.
With a host of shocks so far in Cote d’Ivoire, big guns Morocco will have to be on their mettle when they face Tanzania.
An evocative contest then sees DR Congo play Zambia, in a competitive pool that will eventually complete the knockout line up at the 24-team event.
Afcon predictions and fixtures for 17 January
*All kick off times are in Central Africa Time.
Group F: Morocco vs Tanzania – 19.00
It’s time to see if the burden of expectation weighs heavy at the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday, as Morocco kick off their campaign against Tanzania.
The continent was right behind the Atlas Lions just over a year ago, as they rocketed all the way to the semi-finals at the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, becoming the first African nation to do so.
That effort helped propel them to an eye-catching Fifa world ranking of 13th.
Which makes it a little odd that they’ve only lifted the Afcon trophy once, all the way back in 1976 before largely flattering to deceive in the decades since.
Walid Regragui’s squad is stacked this time, though, boasting Hakim Ziyech, Sofyan Amrabat and Achraf Hakimi among their ranks as they bid to boss the region.
The contrast couldn’t be starker for Tanzania.
They come into their third Cup of Nations – having last featured in 2019 – with a raft of domestic-based players as well as a couple plucked out of the English non league.
Coach Adel Amrouche has a job on his hands with the lowest-ranked country in the tournament and the start couldn’t be tougher for the Taifa Stars.
Group F: DR Congo vs Zambia – 22.00
There’s plenty of intrigue around Wednesday night’s Africa Cup of Nations clash between DR Congo and Zambia.
The pair bring the first set of pool phase fixtures to a close with their Group F contest, with both carrying the heft of being previous Afcon winners.
It’s the Congolese who many fancy as an outside bet to win a third title, having last been crowned kings of the continent in 1974.
Yoane Wissa, Theo Bongonda and Fiston Mayele are all present and correct for the Leopards.
They qualified comfortably enough for the Cote d’Ivoire edition, albeit aided by the award of a walkover victory against eventual runners-up Mauritania, who fielded an ineligible player against them.
Zambia pipped the host nation to the top of qualifying Group H, winning four times in a pool that also contained minnows Comoros and Lesotho.
Plenty rests on the performance of Patson Daka, with the Leicester striker approaching talismanic status at the spearhead of the Zambian attack.
And with Morocco lying in wait, victory for either nation here would go a long way towards knockout qualification.
Afcon Predictions for Wednesday 17 January
Morocco v Tanzania
| Result prediction | Morocco to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Morocco to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | S. Boufal(Morocco) |
Congo DR v Zambia
| Result prediction | Zambia to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Zambia to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | P. Daka(Zambia) |