Morocco v USA Betting Tips [2 August 2024]

The USA are in the Olympic Games quarter-finals for the first time since Sydney 2000 and will take on Morocco on Friday. Here’s a look at the numbers defining this match before offering our prediction.

After failing to qualify for the last three Olympic editions, the USA bounced back, finishing second in Group A. Marko Mitrovic’s men rose from an opening 3-0 loss to hosts France, winning the ensuing two matches to book their quarter-final spot.

They are coming from a 3-0 win over African representatives Guinea. With seven goals scored in the group stages, the USA will be confident going into this encounter. This will only be their second meeting but the first in competitive action. The USA will be keen to avoid a second loss to Morocco after their 1-0 defeat in a 2023 friendly.

Fueled by their senior team’s performance at the 2022 World Cup, Morocco advanced from their group for the first time since 1972. They missed the last two Olympic Games but arrived in France as champions of Africa. The addition of seasoned internationals including Achraf Hakimi has helped stabilize the team.

Controversy courted the African nation’s first two group matches but they were at their best in crushing Iraq 3-0 in Round 3. That win guaranteed Morocco a top spot finish in Group B. They will be keen to emulate the senior team’s exploits in reaching the 2022 World Cup semi-finals.

Proximity to Africa means they’ve enjoyed a lot of local support in France, and Morocco will bank on more of that. The winner in this encounter will take on Spain or Japan in the semis.

Morocco scored six times in the group stage while the USA netted seven goals. This is a depiction of the amount of attacking talent in these teams. All of the two nations’ matches at the group stage saw at least three goals scored. This is a trend we expect to see in this encounter so we will back a high-scoring game. Our prediction for USA U 23 v Morocco U23 is for the game to have over 2.5 goals.