Morocco vs Georgia Prediction: The Atlas Lions to get a win

On Thursday, Morocco will face Georgia in the Sharjah Stadium as their final tune-up before the start of the FIFA World Cup. In the wake of a stellar performance in the UEFA Nations League, Willy Sagnol's squad will enter Wednesday's match eager to keep their momentum going.

The Atlas Lions finished first in Group I after winning all six of their matches. They advanced to the March'a playoffs, where they ultimately defeated Congo DR, 5-2, on aggregate. Morocco, though, will be hoping to redeem themselves after their dismal showing in Russia four years ago, when they came dead last in Group B with zero wins. Even if they don't win on Wednesday, the 1976 African champions will still be confident in their chances of matching their best World Cup performance, which occurred in 1986 when they advanced to the knockout rounds. Morocco is now unbeaten in five straight games across all competitions, and they reached the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year before falling in extra time to Egypt. After beating South Africa and Liberia in a row back in June, they are now atop Group K for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Morocco, along with Croatia, Belgium, and Canada in Group F at the World Cup in Qatar, is one of the dark horse prospects due to their cumulative growth over the last four years.

Sagnol's squad dropped five of their first six games, drawing one with Greece on March 31. They finished the season with back-to-back wins over Kosovo and Sweden, however. However, this set the stage for a remarkable run of form, as they went on to win two and tie one of their next three friendlies before going on a stunning run in the UEFA Nations League. The Jvarosnebi finished with 16 points, first place in Group C4, and an undefeated record (one of only five teams to do so), seven points ahead of Bulgaria in second place. Georgia enter Wednesday having won nine and drawn two of their last 11 matches in all competitions. Their last loss was a 2-0 setback at home to Greece in October 2021. They have kept eight clean sheets and allowed only four goals in that span since their last loss, attesting to their excellent work in defense.

Morocco, who will be playing their first game at the World Cup, will be hoping to pick up a confidence-boosting win against Georgia, who have had a stellar 2022. We expect a high-scoring match at the Sharjah Stadium, with goals from both teams, but a narrow victory for Morocco.