Morocco’s Hakimi Likely to Play Against Malawi, Coach Confirms

Even though he was seen training alone on Monday, Achraf Hakimi participated in the training session with his teammates. Vahid Halilhidzic told the press that there are strong chances that the player will be present against Malawi. "Yes, it’s true that Achraf Hakimi suffered a slight injury, but I’m optimistic about his presence tomorrow against Malawi," he said. "But we have players who can replace him like Chibi or Samy Mmaee".

On Monday during the training session, the PSG player appeared in good shape. While announcing the strong possibility for Hakimi to participate in the Lions’ qualification for the quarter-finals of the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON-2021), the coach indicated that Fayçal Fajr will not be present in this round of 16 against Malawi because he tested positive for Covid-19.

Regarding his impressions for Tuesday’s match, the coach stressed that his players must be much more focused to avoid any surprise. "I’ve seen a few Malawi matches. It’s a team that can create problems for us. My players have to be very focused to be able to win this match." He also said that he believes in the team’s abilities and knows that they will accomplish great things for Morocco. "This generation is capable of creating an exploit. I am sure that these players will succeed with Morocco in the future, because they have great technical potential."

Malawi finished 3rd in Group B, behind Senegal and Guinea, while the Atlas Lions finished the group stage as leaders of Group C, after two wins and a draw. The Morocco-Malawi match is this Tuesday at 8pm at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé.