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This Saturday at Mohammed V stadium in Casablanca, the Moroccan national team will face Gabon in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers Russia. The Lions of the Atlas will have to win in order to maximize their chances of being one of the African qualifiers, especially after failing to defeat (0-0) Mali in Bamako on the 1st of September.
On Thursday, Hervé Renard, a French former professional player who currently manages the Moroccan national team, stated that he recognizes the importance of defeating the Gabonese team. «After missing a victory over Mali, we have no choice but to win the game against Gabon to keep our chances of being qualified» he said, as reported by Kooora.com.
«The game against Mali is part of the past and we must now focus on the game against Gabon. We need to be fully focused and ready to win. We need to maintain our chances for qualifying because, apart from winning, we have no other choice».
The Lions of the Atlas vs. the Ivorian Elephants on the 6th of November
Hervé Renard also said that this time the national team is counting on the support of the Moroccan public, unlike what happened in Mali. «We count on our spectators to come and show support for the players, same way as Mali», he added.
Last Thursday, in a statement given to the FIFA official website, Hervé Renard said that Morocco, even if it has «lost points» in the past, remains «on the right track». The coach recalled that things got complicated in Bamako where Moroccan players missed four chances of scoring despite the fact that they have previously defeated Mali (6-0 in Rabat).
Hervé Renard also indicated that «the trip to Moscow starts from Casablanca where it is necessary to defeat Gabon before moving to the Cote d’Ivoire for the finale on the 6th of November».
The Lions of the Atlas will have to face the Ivorian Elephants at the Felix Houphoet stadium. Only one team will be able to occupy one of the five places reserved for Africa in the world.
For the record, Morocco has been qualified four times for the FIFA World Cup, namely in 1970 Mexico, 1986 Mexico, United States 1994, and France 1998 respectively.
