Morocco players gear up for the quarter-final.
Doha, Qatar: Morocco coach Tarik Sektioui believes his side’s unity and focus can carry them past a “respectable” Syrian team when the two sides meet in their FIFA Arab Cup quarter-final at the Khalifa International Stadium today.
Morocco will be brimming with confidence after finishing their Group campaign on top with two wins and a draw.
They defeated Comoros and Saudi Arabia while sharing points with Oman after a goalless affair.
Sektioui said his squad had prepared well ahead of the key clash, stressing the strong bond inside the dressing room.
“Our preparations for tomorrow’s match against Syria are taking place in good conditions and atmosphere, with a family spirit and solidarity among all the players,” the coach said. “Everything is marked by seriousness, responsibility and professionalism.”
Syria players take part in a training session.
The Atlas Lions head into the knockout clash with several injury setbacks in attack, yet Sektioui expects his players to step up as they chase a place in the last four.
“We will be playing against a respectable team and facing them will not be easy,” he said.
“The players will do everything they can to achieve victory and qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament.”
Sektioui admitted that the absence of key forwards has impacted his plans, but insisted that Morocco’s targets remain unchanged.
“We are suffering from the absence of prominent players in the attacking line due to injuries they sustained before the start of the tournament, such as Bencherki, Mehri and Meloui,” he explained.
“But we will work hard to honour Moroccan football and satisfy our fans.”
Meanwhile, Syria coach Jose Lana expects a demanding evening against one of the tournament favourites but backed his players to take on the challenge.
“We are making good preparations for tomorrow’s difficult match against the Moroccan national team, and we will do our best when we have the ball,” Lana said. “Our players are determined to put on a good performance.”
Syria enter the match with renewed belief after a steady group campaign. They stunned Tunisia and drew with Palestine and hosts Qatar.
Lana praised his squad’s attitude and called for another committed display in the quarter-final.
“I am proud of all the national team players and I have asked them to make more efforts in order to appear in the desired manner,” Lana noted.
The Syrian coach said he sees clear similarities between Morocco and Tunisia, who his side faced in the group stage.
“The Moroccan national team is a very good team and I do not think it is much different from the Tunisian national team that we faced in the group stage,” he said. “Both of them have outstanding players who try to control and possess the ball.”
Lana underlined that Syria must stick to their plan and stay concentrated, especially with injuries affecting his squad as well.
“We must focus only on our objective in the upcoming match,” he said. “We will play in the absence of some of our players due to injury, and we will rely on the appropriate playing style to face our opponent.”
The match kicks off at 5:30pm.
