Doha, Qatar: Saudi Arabia and Morocco meet today at the Lusail Stadium in a decisive Group B fixture at the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025.
At the iconic FIFA World Cup venue, Saudi Arabia will look to maintain their perfect start, while Morocco will aim for the top spot in their group.
Saudi Arabia lead the group with six points from two wins, and have already booked a quarter-final place. Morocco follow with four points and a draw will be enough to send them through to the quarters regardless of the result if the Oman-Comoros clash. Meanwhile, a win will take them to the top of the group.
Morocco coach Tarik Sektioui said his players are ready for a strong performance.
“We played two matches and we were extremely focused in them, and we are seeking to qualify through the third match.”
“The Saudi team has qualified for the next round, and therefore we need to deal with this match. They have goals and we have goals from this match. The biggest mistake we can make is to play for a draw. We will enter the match to win, and without pressure as well,” Sektioui said.
He said pressure works in the team’s favour.
“Pressure for us is positive in terms of national football.”
Sektioui highlighted the strength of the Saudi squad and the limited time Morocco had to prepare.
He said the squad came together late but remain committed.
“We haven’t gathered as much as other teams, but these are circumstances that we deal with. We seek to exploit the team’s strong character and the players’ love for the Moroccan flag. The match will not be easy for either side,” Sektioui added.
Saudi Arabia’s assistant coach Francois Rodriguez said his team will follow the same plan that carried them through the first two matches.
“We will face Morocco in the same way as in the last two matches. We haven’t changed anything in our approach,” said Rodriguez who took charge of the team in the absence of coach Herve Renard who travelled for the World Cup draw in Washington, DC.
Rodriguez stressed that the squad remain focused.
“The players are ready to face Morocco, a team we greatly respect. We know that we have qualified and Morocco needs to win, and they certainly want to win. We are at the peak of our focus, and we will play with the utmost competitiveness. We are a team in development, and we have a lot of knowledge. Most importantly, we have qualified. We make mistakes. We must limit them,” Rodriguez said.
“It is natural that we will concede goals. We want to be strong in attack. We must reduce our mistakes against Morocco, which is one of the strongest attacking teams.”
