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Rabat – Morocco’s head coach Walid Regragui emphasized that the Atlas Lions should forget their World Cup achievement, stressing the difficult tasks awaiting the national squad in the competition.
Regragui made his remarks today in a press conference, marking the eve of the Atlas Lions’ first game as part of the AFCON’s group stage.
In the press conference, Regragui acknowledged that the AFCON is a tough competition that is entirely different from the World Cup.
Commenting on the results of the first played games, he recalled how several teams presented as favorites to win the AFON titles have either lost or drawn.
“Since the start of the competition, there haven’t been any easy matches. Our first match is important for us to enter the competitive atmosphere,” Regragui said, noting that the Atlas Lions’ goal is to win in order to boost the players’ confidence.
“We have been preparing well for this match for a long time,” he said, noting that his players should respect the Tanzanian national team.
Regragui also announced that Morocco’s Nosusair Mezraoui will be absent during tomorrow’s game due to his previous injury.
He said that he is not sure whether the player, who also plays for Bayern Munich, will be ready for Morocco’s second game as part of the group stage.
Last week, Bayern Munich’s coach Thomas Tuchel discussed Mazraoui’s injury, stating that the football player is not completely ready to participate in the AFCON.
“Noussair Mazraoui is currently recovering and has been called up to the Moroccan squad. We hope that he will gradually return to his best level, and we would recommend that he play only until the third group stage match,” said Tuchel.
The coach also expressed respect for the decision made by coaches in fielding their best players.
