Morocco Aims for Strong Start in Africa Cup of Nations Opener Against Tanzania

For its first CAN match, Morocco wants to make an impression. Coach Walid Regragui does not want to leave anything to chance. Semi-finalists in the last World Cup in Qatar, the Atlas Lions assume their status as favorites and do not intend to disappoint the Moroccans. "We know we have responsibilities. We have supporters and a people behind us. We don’t want to disappoint them. And not disappointing them is to give our maximum. That’s what I told the players," Walid Regragui said in a recent interview on the FRMF website from San Pedro.

The victory against Sierra Leone (3-1) in a friendly match last Thursday in San Pedro has restored confidence to the Moroccan players who are highly motivated to go as far as possible in the competition and win the continental title. "The players are motivated to go and get the trophy. And pressure, that’s a good thing. We know we’ll have supporters behind us. We want to make them happy. They’re also eager to be in the competition. We’re all eager to experience the same emotions as at the World Cup," added the Moroccan coach.

The captain of the Moroccan team, Romain Saïss, is also reassuring. "We now know that we are highly anticipated, especially after the last World Cup. I don’t think it adds pressure, but we know we have responsibilities towards the Moroccans, because they have expectations today. It’s up to us to do what’s necessary on the pitch to make this people proud, as we did at the World Cup," he said. Saïss is aware that the task will not be easy. "We expect to suffer like in every competition, but it’s up to us to be mentally well prepared to go as far as possible."

The Atlas Lions will play their first match against Tanzania on Wednesday at 6pm at the San Pedro stadium. 24 hours before this fateful match, Walid Regragui’s men continue their physical and technical preparation in order to succeed in their entry into the competition.