Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Hakim Bahechar
Published on 2024-03-22 11:38:07
The Moroccan national football team will play two friendly matches against Angola and Mauritania on March 22 and March 26 at the Grand Stadium of Agadir.
After being cruelly eliminated in the round of 16 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, the national team is looking to bounce back. To do so, friendly matches are key to building new cohesion within the group.
Following their early exit from the African competition, Morocco announced their program for March, which included two friendly matches. Initially, there were talks of facing Uruguay in France before playing against Turkey. However, national coach Walid Regragui preferred opponents from the continent whose style of play is similar to that of the Moroccan team. Mali was one of the first opponents mentioned, but a deal was not reached due to the Malians’ desire to play at home.
As a result, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation officially announced two friendly matches, one against Angola on March 22 and the second against Mauritania four days later. These matches will take place at the Grand Stadium of Agadir. The choice of these new opponents is justified by their impressive performances in the last Africa Cup of Nations. Angola and Mauritania both had remarkable runs in the tournament.
In preparation for these two matches, Walid Regragui called up 24 players, including Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz. The 24-year-old player will represent the Lions of the Atlas for the first time in these friendly matches. The squad also includes young talent like Youssef Lekhedim, who was called up to the Moroccan U20 team last September.
Noteworthy in the squad are players like Ilias Akhomach from Villareal, Eliesse Ben Seghir from AS Monaco, and the return of Soufiane Rahimi from Al-Ain, who has been in good form recently. However, some key players like Amine Harit, Sofiane Boufal, and captain Romain Saïss have not been called up for these matches. Despite appearing stronger on paper, these matches against Angola and Mauritania will provide a good test as Morocco prepares for World Cup qualifying matches against Zambia and Congo in June.
Read the original article(French) on Aujourdhui.ma
