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Friday's match, Morocco vs. Gabon, will be a confrontation similar to the first leg—«very open and offensive, with two liberated teams who want to win», said national coach Walid Regragui during a pre-match press conference on Thursday evening.
Congratulating the Gabonese team on their qualification for Afcon 2025, Walid Regragui recalled that there are always difficult confrontations between the two teams. «We're very happy to be in Gabon, and we know the friendship that binds our two peoples», he enthused.
«Gabon, which has always had very good players, has a real attacking style of play», he added, noting that the Atlas Lions «will be taking part in a very good match and in very good conditions».
According to Regragui, this confrontation will be different as Gabon is already qualified, which will influence the style of play of both teams. «The aim for us is to face a different challenge in each match. Every away match for any team in Africa is difficult, which is a good challenge for us», he said.
Regarding the physical condition of certain players, the national coach said, «There are a few concerns with players who have been injured, but the bulk of our squad is present». «We'll wait until the last training session to assess how the trip went for some of the players, and to address any final physical concerns to see if they'll be able to take part, as we’ll be playing a second match next Monday», explained the Atlas Lions coach.
For Walid, the goal is to review the squad without upsetting it too much. «We need to have certainties for each match to progress together», he noted, stressing that the new players who have joined the national team since the last Afcon must adapt to the team.
He was keen to point out that the Atlas Lions' objective is to win this match and to have a reference away game, noting, «This is a match between two fine teams, two countries that appreciate each other».
On the other hand, the national coach affirmed that Morocco's objective during the qualifiers was to qualify, despite the Kingdom already having secured qualification as the host country, adding that the national team had short-, medium-, and long-term objectives.
The press conference was followed by a training session at the Franceville stadium, open to the press for the first 15 minutes.
Morocco, leader of Group B with 12 points, takes on Gabon on Friday at 20:00, before hosting Lesotho next Monday at the Stade d'Honneur in Oujda.
Gabon, in second place with seven points, qualified for Afcon 2025 before playing Morocco on the fifth day of the qualifiers, thanks to Lesotho's 1-0 win over the Central African Republic.
