2024-05-03 08:02:22
“CAN 2023 will be one of the most difficult Cups in the history of African football, given the quality of the stadiums and the presence of great African football stars playing in the best clubs in the world,” he underlined during the pre-match press conference between the Atlas Lions and the Ivorian Elephants, tomorrow Saturday.
The last World Cup in Qatar, he said, showed that African football continues to progress and proved that African teams could place themselves on the roof of the world.
Highlighting the achievements of African teams in Qatar, he said “today we can compete with the biggest nations.”
Regarding the draw for CAN-2023 which took place on Thursday in Abidjan, the national coach affirmed that there is no easy group and that of Morocco is not easy either.
“To win the African Cup, you really have to be at the top of your game,” he continued.
Thus, specifies the former right-back of the Atlas Lions, it would be “very complicated” to designate a winner beforehand.
“There are at least ten teams that can win the CAN, in addition to the outsiders,” he predicted.
Regarding the Morocco-Ivory Coast friendly match, “Walid” indicated that this meeting remains a favorable opportunity allowing the national selection to discover the country which will host the CAN, noting that Morocco will face one of the best African teams.
The Ivorians will try to be at the top of their level in front of their home crowd, to tell all of Africa that they are going to keep the Cup at home.
According to him, the meeting will be “very difficult” for both teams and will be an opportunity for the Lions to discover the conditions that await them during the CAN.
“We are confident. This match will be in the interest of both teams,” he said.
Regragui explained, in this context, that the friendly matches allow young players the chance to join the national team and prepare for the next competitions which will take place in Morocco, in particular the CAN-2025 and the 2030 World Cup.
Asked also about the absence of Soufiane Amrabat and Hakim Ziyech due to injuries, he stressed that we must take this situation positively and try to find other solutions and test new options.
The Moroccan football selection inherited Group F, alongside its DR Congolese, Zambian and Tanzanian counterparts, following the draw for the group stage.
The Atlas Lions will play the group stage matches in the city of San-Pédro. They will face Tanzania in the first match.
2024-05-03 08:02:22