A few hours before their round of 16 match in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations against South Africa, the coach of Morocco, Walid Regragui, will have to do without two of his key players.
The AFCON 2023 continues its journey. While we know some of the quarter-finalists, the last batch will be determined in a few hours. Started last Saturday, the round of 16 will conclude this Tuesday with the match between the Lions of Atlas from Morocco and the Bafana Bafana from South Africa at the Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro. For Walid Regragui and the Moroccans, it will be a match not to lose, like all the other North African countries that arrived at this Africa Cup as favorites. This Sunday, two major absences are unfortunately confirmed among the Lions of Atlas.
The worrying situation of Boufal and Ziyech
Indeed, according to information from the Moroccan sports television, Arryadia TV, and several official sources, the versatile 30-year-old player, Sofiane Boufal, will miss the match against South Africa due to an injury sustained during training. According to some sources, this injury is a relapse that may prevent him from playing again during this AFCON 2023 if Morocco remains in the competition for a long time. For Walid Regragui, it’s a significant loss considering the technical qualities of the Al-Rayyan player in Qatar.
In addition to this unwelcome news, it is the presence of former Chelsea player Hakim Ziyech that is a concern. Also injured, the 30-year-old left-footer would be almost ruled out for the duel against South Africa. Absent from training since Morocco’s qualification for the round of 16, Ziyech still made a return to training this Sunday night. But according to several local sources, there is very little chance of seeing the player currently playing at Galatasaray take the field this Tuesday.
Problem for Morocco?
It must be said that the Lions of the Atlas have a well-stocked squad with great players capable of making a difference. However, with the AFCON 2023 being played on details, the experience of players like Boufal and Ziyech can be sorely missed by the Moroccans. In the national team for nearly a decade, both are familiar with competitions like the AFCON. In any case, Walid Regragui has the difficult task of fielding a formidable team against South Africa, which is not an easy team to play against. As a reminder, Morocco’s last defeat, dating back to June 17th, was against these South Africans.
On paper, the semi-finalists of the last World Cup are heavily favored for this final match of the round of 16. After the quick eliminations of Algeria and Tunisia in the group stage and that of Egypt this Sunday in the round of 16, Morocco must react to save the honor of the Maghreb. One thing is certain, Ivory Coast, which owes a lot to the Lions of the Atlas, will not fail to push Achraf Hakimi and others Youssef El Nesyri to victory.
Morocco’s journey in AFCON 2023
As a reminder, Morocco arrived in Ivory Coast as one of the top favorites for the final title behind Senegal. Placed in Group F of this 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Lions of the Atlas qualified without much difficulty. In the opening match, they easily defeated Tanzania with a score of 3-0 before drawing with the DR Congo (1-1). On the third matchday, a goal against Zambia was needed to secure the top spot and at the same time seal the qualification of the host country, which will have a tough task against Senegal this Monday.
Against South Africa, dreaming of an upset, they will have to be very good to hope to advance to the next round.
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