Morocco coach Hussein Ammouta speaks during a press conference.
North African football giants Morocco and Algeria are ready to clash in the quarter-final of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021, a battle that may well go down as tournament’s most thrilling encounter.
Hussein Ammouta-coached Atlas Lions – ranked 28th in the FIFA rankings – will enter the Al Thumama Stadium tonight having a slight advantage over Madjid Bougherra’s Desert Warriors – a World No.32 side.
Morocco, one of the only two teams of the event besides hosts Qatar to win all their first three matches, were perfect in the group stage scoring nine goals without conceding any – the only side to do so in the tournament.
Algeria too have been strong in the tournament and finished runners-up behind Egypt in the group stage, only by virtue of fewer fair play points.
Tonight’s battle, however, will ensure one of the pre-event favourites will see an end to their long unbeaten streak.
The Atlas Lions are in stunning form as they are yet to be defeated in their last 31 competitive matches, excluding the penalty shootouts. Their last loss came against Cristiano Ronaldo-powered Portugal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The Desert Warriors are also seeking to extend their unbeaten run to 36 games in today’s mouth-watering clash.
Morocco have been a more cohesive unit in the competition so far while Algeria are relying much on their stars like goal-scoring machine Baghdad Bounedjah.
The coaches of both the teams were expecting a tight Maghreb derby as they spoke to reporters yesterday.
“It’s a difficult match that requires players to be fully focused,” Ammouta told a pre-match press conference yesterday.
“The players will have to be up to the mark physically and mentally. Small details will make much difference in the match. We must concentrate and take advantage of that to reach the semi-finals,” the 52-year-old added.
The former Al Sadd coach stressed that his players must give their 100 percent without thinking much about the result.
“Pressure will be on both the teams and we will have to play with our full potential. Our goal is to reach the final and we are looking forward to a victory. We are here to benefit and develop by playing high-level matches,” said Ammouta.
Morocco player Mohammed Ali Bemammer, meanwhile, hoped his team will continue their winning run in the tournament.
“This difficult match requires our best performance and we are ready for the challenge,” he said.
Prior to the quarter-final, Algeria were locked in a 1-1 draw against Egypt in their final Group D clash, and coach Bougherra said the tense battle gave his side good preparation for the match.
“It’s an important clash for us and we will try to give our best performance to win and qualify for the semi-final,” the Algerian coach told reporters.
“We started our preparations for this game soon after playing a great match with Egypt in the group stage.”
Bougherra echoed Ammouta’s views, saying his players will have to be in their best in all aspects to beat Morocco.
“We will have to concentrate throughout the match. The team which will be better mentally and physically will have the advantage in this match,” he said.
To a query, the 39-year-old said the results in the group stage will not matter much in the knockout phase.
“The finals are different because there’s no way back and teams are aware of that. All the quarter-finalists will give their best performance,” said Bougherra.
Meanwhile, Algeria’s Zakaria Darawi said the team is determined to win the match and advance to the semi-final.
“We are completely ready and looking forward to a good performance against a tough side,” he said.
