Walid Regragui, the head coach of Morocco, believes the upcoming encounter against Mali will be tough.
The two teams face off on Friday at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium as matchday two at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations gets underway.
Wagragui, while speaking to the media in the pre-match press briefing on Thursday, indicated that Mali will not be a pushover and expects a tough clash.
“Winning the first match was very important, but the upcoming game will be difficult. We are facing a tough match against Mali, a team we know very well. They are among the strongest teams, with high-quality players who always want to win,” he said.
“Our goal is to win and qualify for the next round,” added the coach.
Friday’s game will be only the second AFCON meeting between the two sides, following the 2004 semi-final, when Morocco swept Mali 4–0.
The coach also provided team news regarding players who had injury concerns from the previous game.
Skipper Romain Saiss, who limped off in the game against Comoros, will not be available.
Meanwhile, Achiraf Hakimi is still recovering, just like Hamza Igamane, while Nayef Aguerd is fully fit.