Morocco boss on facing Egypt: We developed plans on how to stop Salah
Vahid Halilhodi, Morocco's national team manager, discussed his squad's preparatory work for the Egypt clash and how they hope to stop Mohamed Salah.
Egypt advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals following a dramatic penalty shootout victory against Ivory Coast.
On the other hand, Morocco progressed to the quarter-finals following a 2-1 win against Malawi in the round of 16.
The match will be held at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé on Sunday, January 30th, with the victor facing either Cameroon or The Gambia in the semi-finals.
The contest will be a rematch of the 2017
AFCONquarter-finals, in which the Pharaohs won due to a late Mahmoud Kahraba goal.
Halilhodi is well aware of how challenging the match would be and that they will need to give it all to succeed.
"The match will be a tactical war, as Egypt has a lot of experience. We were able to come back in the matches in which we conceded first, and I promise you that our attack will improve," the 69-year-old Halilhodžić said in the pre-match press conference.
"We have developed different plans on how to stop Mohamed Salah, and reduce the threat he poses.
"Will Achraf Bencharki play? The competition is strong for his position. There is Sofiane Boufal and others who have key roles. If the team needs Bencharki, we will rely on him," he added.
After that, the Bosnian coach backed his goalie Yassine Bounou, who had made a mistake and conceded a goal in their last match against Malawi.
"He's one of the best in the world. The player unexpectedly shot despite being surrounded by three defenders. We have a lot of faith in Bounou."
"We're expecting great support from the fans. For my part, I will develop the best plan and the best tactics to win and make the Moroccan fans happy.
"Bringing the match forward by an hour may affect the players, so we programmed our training sessions at four o'clock this week, but this is not an excuse, as our opponent also have to deal with this.
"We were fortunate to stay in Yaounde, the accommodation and the services provided are good and the pitch of the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium is up to par," he concluded.
DISCLAIMER! Sportmob does not claim ownership of any of the pictures posted on this website. Again, we do not host pictures or videos ourselves. Our authors merely link to the rightful owner. Lastly, Sportmob have carefully considered and reviewed all of its content. Despite that, it is possible that some information might be out-dated or incomplete.