Morocco Opens Africa Cup of Nations Campaign Against Underdog Namibia

Considered easy, the Namibian team nevertheless has great ambitions, if we are to believe the words of its coach, who simply wishes a victory at the end of this match. For his part, Hervé Renard expects a tough game for his protégés. The two failures in the previous friendly matches are still vivid in everyone’s memory. And the "Hamdallah" episode, who left the "Atlas Lions" claiming a back injury, has left its mark.

"The preparation is going well," explains Yunis Abdelhamid to RFI. "For three weeks, we’ve been working hard to be ready for the first game against Namibia. We’re trying to get used to the Egyptian climate before Sunday’s game. It’s a team we don’t know much about, but in Africa you have to be wary of all teams. There are no small selections. We have to be serious to win this game."

The same observation is shared by Khalid Boutaïb, who calls for not underestimating the Namibians: "Against Namibia, everyone thinks it’s going to be easy. But there are no easy teams in this kind of competition."

To return to the match, the national coach will undoubtedly play it safe by calling on the most experienced players. We will therefore find without fear of being mistaken Medhi Benatia, Hakim Ziyech, Achraf Hakimi, Nordin Amrabat or Nabil Dirar.

This match will be broadcast live tomorrow on Moroccan channels at 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm, Paris and Brussels time respectively.