Rabat – Spanish coach Fernando Hierro knows very well what his team will deal with tonight. The Spaniard warned his squad of Morocco’s strength, even though they will not move to the next phase of the 2018 World Cup.
The Atlas Lions and La Roja, Spain’s team, will play tonight in Kaliningrad at 7:00 p.m. (Moroccan time). However, Morocco’s team will fight for its honor after two defeats against Portugal and Iran, while Spain will fight to qualify for the second round of the tournament.
For the Spanish coach, Morocco is a “tough rival,” according to American television channel ESPN.
“Basically if they qualified for a World Cup we know they will be a tough rival,” said Hierro before the game.
He added that his squad cannot have a moment of relaxation as the team has to be “very much awake, with our eyes very much open, and we are aware that Morocco is not going to give anything away.”
Spain and Portugal are in Group B, along with Morocco and Iran. Only two teams will qualify for the next round of the competition. Iran is in third with three points, while Morocco ended its two previous games pointless.
Spain, Portugal, and Iran will fight for qualification, while Morocco will fight to bring joy to its fans and to show everyone that its goodbye was due to the “unfair” arbitration in the Portugal-Morocco game on June 20.
The Spanish coach might have heard about the plan of Morocco’s coach Hervé Renard, who expressed his determination to offer a good match against Spain tonight.
In his pre-match press conference, Renard promised that his Atlas Lions will play this game as if they were trying to get qualified for the next round.
In response, Hierro said that “we can’t get into the coach’s head; we’re not sure how they’re going to play tomorrow.”
He added that the Moroccan team could make a surprise. “We can’t take anything for granted. We have to trust in our skills, our qualities, and that’s what’s more important ahead of tomorrow’s match.”
