Rabat — Nigeria’s head coach, Eric Chelle, said in a pre-match conference today that Morocco is his team’s toughest test.
“Each match that passes is a bigger test than the one before,” he said, stating his team will play tomorrow’s game as if it’s the last.
For Chelle, his team is prepared for the match, but he is also ready to deploy any means, including using a defensive approach to tackle the game.
Walid Regragui also commented on tomorrow’s game, stressing that returning to the advanced stage after a long absence is “something very important” for Morocco.
“Tomorrow won’t be easy at all,” he admitted.
However, he added that reaching the semifinals confirms that the Atlas Lions have consistently performed at a high level, especially against a strong team like Nigeria.
Morocco and Nigeria are meeting for the first time in 22 years and the sixth time in the history of the AFCON. This will also be the second time they face off in the semifinals.
Tomorrow’s game will take place at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium at 9 p.m. Moroccan time.
The pressure is on, and fans are hopeful, as the Atlas Lions have not reached the semi-finals of the competition since 2004.
Nigeria midfielder Alex Iwobi also spoke openly on social media about the challenge ahead.
“Morocco are a strong team, very scary,” Iwobi admitted during a live broadcast on his social media. “Now we face them directly. It will be a frightening match.”
Nigeria reached the last four after a solid 2–0 win over Algeria in Marrakech. Morocco qualified to the semi-finals after defeating Cameroon 2-0.
