Morocco will be targeting a place in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations quarter finals when they face Ivory Coast at the Stade d’Oyem on Tuesday.
Aziz Bouhaddouz, Romain Saiss and Youssef En-Nesyri all netted for the Lions of the Atlas as they beat Togo 3-1 in their previous Group C game in Oyem on Friday.
This was their first win of the tournament. They had lost 1-0 to Demo- cratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in their opening group game two weeks ago. Who will you bank on to win this win,Place your NaijaBet.com
As a result Morocco are placed second on the Group C standings with three points from two games. They are a point behind group leaders DR Congo.
A victory over Ivory Coast will see the Lions of the Atlas, who won the 1976 Afcon title, book their place in the quarterfinals.
Morocco head coach Herve Renard is likely to look to young centre forward En-Nesyri to lead his attack and inspire the team to victory on Tuesday night.
Renard, who won the 2015 Afcon title with Ivory Coast, has urged his Moroccan charges to be strong against the defending champions.
“I try to forget, because when I saw all the Ivorians before our (Fifa) World Cup qualifier two months ago, it was very emotional for me,” Renard said.
“We have to fight and play to win… we have to be strong,” the Frenchman, who also won the 2012 Afcon title with Zambia, added.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast will go all out for their first victory of the tournament when they lock horns with a rejuvenated Morocco side.
Wilfried Bony and Serey Die both netted for the Elephants as they drew 2-2 with DR Congo in their previous Group C game in Oyem on Fridayevening.
The defending champions Ivory Coast were also held to a goalless stalemate by Togo in their opening group match in Oyem a fortnight ago.
The two draws sees the Elephants placed third on the Group C standings with two points. They are two points behind group leaders DR Congo.
Only a victory will be enough to send the West African giants to the quarterfinals as a draw will see them bow out of the tournament – failing to defend their crown.
Ivory Coast head coach Michel Dussuyer, who is under pressure, is expected to name a strong attacking line-up which includes Salomon Kalou, who was a substitute against DR Congo.
Serge Aurier, the Elephants’ influential full-back, is confident that they will overcome the Lions of the Atlas and advance to the next round.
“I’d like to reassure everyone, there is no need to worry. In 2015 we started like that and ended up as champions,” Aurier told the media.
The last time Morocco and Ivory Coast met was last year. The Lions of the Atlas and the Elephants drew 0-0 in the 2018 Fifa World qualifier in Marrakech.
