Morocco’s head coach, Said Chiba says his side will need to deal with a physical and athletic Nigeria, when the two sides clash in their second Group B match of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Constantine on Wednesday.
The top of the table clash will have a huge bearing on who finishes top of what is considered as the tournament’s group of death and Chiba, a former Moroccan international, wants to see his side pick the three points from this duel.

“It will be a very difficult game and so will all the matches in this group. I watched Nigeria and it is a team which is very strong physically and quick on the offensive. We definitely have to prepare and play them differently from the match against South Africa. We will try to be more organized,” Chiba said.

He added; “We have a lot of mutual respect with Nigeria and they have a really strong team. We will try to do better and balance our way of play to win this match. The target remains to get to the next round and this match will be key.”

Morocco goalkeeper Hamza Jlid during the 2023 Under 17 African Cup of Nations Morocco Press Conference held at the Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium in Constantine, Algeria on 02 May 2023

Morocco leads the group with three points and are ahead of the Golden Eaglets on goal difference, having won 2-0 against South Africa while Nigeria won 1-0 against Zambia.

A draw will see Morocco remain on top of the group and an assured ticket to the next round.

Goalkeeper Hamza Jlid meanwhile says as players, they know their work is cut out and need to step up to ensure they clinch victory.

“We will definitely give our best and try to battle for a win. We saw Nigeria in their match and we know it will be tough to beat them. But as players, we are ready,” Jlid noted.

Meanwhile, coach Chiba says they have worked to polish some of the weak areas they picked out against South Africa, especially offensively, to be ready for a tougher Nigerian side.