This will only be the second match in charge for former Marseille coach Eric Gerets and the Belgian has called up an interesting mix of talent from the domestic league and Europe to ascertain who he can count on in upcoming 2012 AFCON qualifying, particularly the must win encounter against Algeria in March. His first outing with Morocco finished in a 1-1 away draw against Northern Ireland that saw the north Africans show some of their potential but fall well short of fully satisfying their fans.
Moroccan football has been in a notable decline since their final appearance at the 2004 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia but the recruitment of Gerets has given many Atlas Lions fans hope that the worst dies are behind them. They are currently in second place of their AFCON qualifying group after a disappointing draw against the Central African Republic and a positive away win against Tanzania’s Taifa Stars.
The Mena Seek To Surprise Again
Hardly a force in international football over the years, the Mena are surprisingly in second place of their 2012 AFCON qualifying group after two games played. The minnows began their campaign with a 2-0 away loss to South Africa in September of last year but followed that up with what has to be considered their most important national team victory to date: A 1-0 home win against none other than six time continental champions Egypt in Niamey.
Harouna Doula Gabde’s side are behind the Bafana Bafana by one point and will be full of confidence ahead of their qualifier against Sierra Leone in March. Thus, the goal for the Mena is to maintain the positive momentum in Marrakech and maybe even pull out another surprise win against a north African opponent.
TEAM NEWS
Morocco
Notable absences in the Moroccan side are that of Badr El Kaddouri, Mounir El Hamdaoui, and Nadir Lamyaghri as well as Nacer Chadli who has officially opted for Belgium after a long period of hesitation. Mehdi Carcela and Ismail Aissat made the squad for the first time but the latter may miss out due to injury. Meanwhile, Adel Taarabt and Michael Basser are back after missing the Northern Ireland match.
Squad: Ahmed Mohamedina (OCK), Issam Badda (FUS), Abdelillah Bagui (CRA), Ahmed Kantari (Stade Brestois), Mehdi Benatia (Udinese), Abdelfettah Boukhriss (Standard de Liège), Rachid Soulaimani (Raja Casablanca), Michael Basser (AS Nancy), Mohamed Amine Nejmi (OCK), Mehdi Karnas (DHJ), Hicham Mahdoufi (Raja Casablanca), : Mohamed Amine El Bakkali (FUS), Mohamed Chihani (MAS), Houssine Kharja (Inter Milan), Younes Belhanda (Montpellier), Mbark Boussoufa (Anderlecht), Adel Taarabt (QPR), Mehdi Carcela (Standard de Liège), Ismail Aissati (Vitesse Arnhem), Youssef Hadji (AS Nancy), Marouane Chamakh (Arsenal), Youssef El Arabi (SM Caen), Oussama Assaidi (SC Heerenveen)
Niger
Although the Mena’s squad list had still not been published by the country’s FA (FINFOOT) at the time of publishing, it is known to all that the most high profile player on the squad at the moment is undoubtedly Alhassan Youssoufou who played an integral part in helping FUS Rabat win the 2010 CAF Confederation Cup. He will be looked on to lead Niger’s attacks in Marrakesh.
PREDICTION
The Mena might be improving but Morocco simply have too much talent for them to handle and without a packed stadium behind them like they had against Egypt, it is hard to imagine them pulling out a similar result. Look for the Atlas Lions to dominate possession. They should win comfortably but that will largely depend on their efficiency in front of goal.
Morocco 3-1 Niger
