Morocco and Algeria Clash in High-Stakes U17 AFCON Quarter-Final

The national coach, Saïd Chiba, had opted, in the last match against Zambia, for several changes in the team, in order to rest his starting players and prepare this match against Algeria in the best conditions.

Fully aware of the stakes of this match, which he described as "difficult", he emphasized the specificity of the North African derbies and the great excitement that characterizes them.

"The matches that oppose the North African teams are always difficult and are marked by great intensity," the national coach had affirmed after the match against Zambia, noting that these derbies are special in many ways and capture the attention of the public.

This promising match will be decisive, as the winner will validate their ticket for the next U17 World Cup, like the three other semi-finalists.

In order to achieve this goal, the national coach will rely on a deep analysis of the Algerian team’s style of play and its technical scheme, on which his choices of players and tactical plan to confuse the Algerian coach Arezki Remmane will depend.

The high stakes of this match could lead Saïd Chiba to make bold choices, by betting on players who have not played the previous matches or who have only played a few minutes.

Morocco finished the group stage as the leader of Group B, with six points, thanks to two wins against South Africa (2-0) and Nigeria (1-0) and one defeat (1-2) against Zambia.