Morocco will have to come up with the perfect game to beat Gabon on Tuesday evening. The Panthers remain the team that has most frustrated the Moroccans in recent years. They have inflicted Coach Vahid his only defeat.
The duel may seem a little unbalanced on paper, but the Gabonese Panthers have often given the Atlas Lions a hard time. And they have been doing so for several years. In the last 10 matches, Morocco has only won once. A dismal record obtained during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers (3-0). In the meantime, the Gabonese have won on three occasions: twice in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers and once at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. The last and fourth Gabonese success came in 2019, when Aubameyang's partners won at the Atlas Lions (2-3). Vahid's only defeat Since his arrival at the head of the Atlas Lions, Vahid Halilhodzic has recorded more than encouraging results. If he is sometimes criticized for the dull content of some games, the results rather plead in his favor. Except against Gabon, which inflicted his first defeat on the Moroccan bench. It was in a friendly in 2019. The Panthers came to win 3-2 in Tangier. The coach of the Atlas Lions will therefore have to be wary of the Panthers who scored in their first two outings, while they are without two executives: Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Mario Lemina. The Moroccan side will have to rely on the solidity of their defence to prevent the Panthers from gaining the upper hand. And especially on the number of chances created during the last game.
But Gabon has posted an average of almost three goals per game in the last four wins against Morocco. Winning makes sense even if they have already qualified, the Atlas Lions have every interest in winning or at least getting a draw in order to benefit from the many advantages that first place in the group offers. Indeed, it allows them to continue their adventure in Yaounde and avoid a long trip of more than 300 km. In addition, finishing first gives them more rest days. This is not a negligible factor in view of the injuries and cases of Covid-19 that can occur within the team. The Moroccan team has also welcomed back Ilyas Chair, while its striker Ryan Mmaee was seen at the group's training session on Monday. On the other hand, the rock Romain Saïss is expected to be missing.
