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Rabat – Saudi Arabia’s national team coach Herve Renard continues to remember his time in Morocco fondly as he prepares for the 2021 Arab Cup. Renard’s Saudi Arabia drew Morocco in Group C, which means he will face off with his former team in the group stages of the tournament.
When asked about the upcoming Arab Cup match against the Atlas Lions, Renard expressed his warm feelings towards the Moroccan team. “Playing against Morocco means a lot to me,” Renard told Saudi news site Alyaoum. “It is a team that will stay in my heart,” he elaborated.
The French football coach recalled his years running Morocco’s national team when they qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia before being eliminated from the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, which Renard at the time described as a “shock,” leading to his resignation.
Read also: Morocco to Face Saudi Arabia in 2021 FIFA Arab Cup Qatar
“I spent three years there,” Renard recalled about his time in Morocco. “It was a great time with a great team, I have very beautiful memories,” the Frenchman explained.
Renard will soon face Morocco as part of the 2021 Arab Cup, hosted in Qatar. The FIFA tournament drew its allocation for the group stages on April 27, placing both Renard’s Saudi Arabia and Morocco in Group C.
Morocco and Saudi Arabia both qualified automatically for the tournament’s group stage while national teams with lower FIFA rankings play one additional match to qualify for the first stage of the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup.
Read also: Moroccan Court Sentences Two to 18 Months for Filming Herve Renard Naked
Morocco’s first match of the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup will see it face off on December 1 against the winner of the playoff match between Palestine and the Comoros, while the Saudi national team will play either Jordan or South Sudan.
Morocco will play its second match on December 4 against the winner of the playoff match between Jordan and South Sudan. On December 7, Renard’s Saudi squad will face Morocco at 6 p.m. local time. Both teams are expected to have collected points at this stage and the match is likely to determine who will be at the top of Group C.
