The “Atlas Lions” team will be a guest of its Congolese counterpart, with a squad that included new arrivals, most notably Barcelona striker Abdel Samad El Zalzoli, while the most prominent absentee was Chelsea English star Hakim Ziyech, due to disagreements with coach Wahid Halilhodzic.
During the first leg (Friday) and the second leg (Tuesday), the French-Bosnian coach seeks to remedy the lapses of the African Nations Cup campaign, and book the qualification ticket to the Qatar 2022 World Cup for the sixth time in the history of the Atlas Lions.
The “Lions” team reached the qualifying round for the 2022 World Cup, after topping the ninth group for the African qualifiers, which included Guinea-Bissau, Guinea and Sudan.
The cuff is turning black
On paper, the Moroccan team is considered the most likely candidate to qualify for the World Cup against the Congolese team, nicknamed “The Panthers”. The two teams met in 14 matches, during which Morocco won 4 matches, while Congo outperformed in 3, and tied 7 times.
Moroccan sports journalist Ayman Zizi says that the team’s journey, whether in the World Cup qualifiers or in the African Nations Cup, theoretically gives it precedence over its Congolese rival, and makes it the closest to resolving the outcome of this important match, against a team that missed the African Championship.
While awaiting the announcement of the list of the main players against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zizi stresses in an interview with “Sky News Arabia” the importance of harmony within the “lions” den, and in the ranks of the squad that has been vaccinated with new players, including Wydad Casablanca’s duo Yahya Gibran and Yahya Attia God, and Valladolid defender Jawad Yameek, along with Zalzouli, who announced at the last moment that the coach would not play the first leg due to minor knee pain.
The spokesman expects the Lions to win the match as a result and performance, given the prevailing atmosphere within the group and homogeneity in the squad, in addition to the important names on the bench.
decisive match
There is great optimism among football circles in Morocco regarding the outcome of the first leg match, and sports observers in Morocco are unanimous in the importance of returning with a positive result from the “Al-Shuhada” stadium, to resolve the matter of qualification during the return match that will take place on Tuesday at Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca.
Zizi hopes to return with a victory from Kinshasa, “which will give the players a dose of confidence, and take the pressure off them during the decisive second leg to qualify for the World Cup.”
The spokesman points out that good physical and psychological preparation is necessary to overcome all external pressures that can affect the level of players in such important confrontations, whether in the first leg or the return match.
On the other hand, the sports journalist stresses that it is difficult to assess the coach’s work based on the result of one match, and points out that Halilhodzic scored during his career with the national team a set of positive points that contributed to the development of the team.
Halilhodzic faced widespread criticism for his technical choices, after the “Atlas Lions” were eliminated from the African Nations Cup quarter-final against the Egyptian team, after a 1-2 defeat.
crowd support
Despite the anger that prevailed among the Moroccan fans after the exit from the nations of Africa, they are keen to support the “lions” in the separating station to qualify for the World Cup 2022.
The sale of tickets for the return match in Casablanca witnessed a great turnout by the fans.
The Moroccan researcher in sports politics, Moncef El Yazghi, says that the fans’ rush to buy tickets in order to attend the return meeting reflects the size and importance of this football match, which is considered crucial.
In an interview with “Sky News Arabia”, Al-Yazghi indicated that this match “is considered one of the historical matches for football fans, as it will remain an established event for everyone who will follow the confrontation from the stands.”
The spokesman expects that a festive atmosphere will prevail during this football summit with the return of the Atlas Lions fans to the stands, about two years after their closure, due to the precautionary measures taken to prevent the spread of the Corona virus.
#World #Cup #Morocco #armed #optimism #public #Democratic #Republic #Congo