Sébastien Desabre, the coach of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), hopes to see a match where the mistakes made against Zambia are corrected to achieve the desired result. "The Africa Cup of Nations is a time of joy. We have good reports coming from Kinshasa. All the players (24) are available, no one is injured, no one is suspended. Against Morocco, we will need to put on a solid performance. We have to replicate what we did in the first game while erasing the errors. We know we are good in our phases of possession and quick attacks. We must properly manage this great Moroccan team; their combined play and movements, so that we can deliver the game we want to," declared Desabre.
On the Moroccan side, coach Walid Regragui appeared rather modest and complimentary towards the DRC, despite Morocco's status as the favorite. "The DRC has always developed and had great players. The DRC has big clubs, whether it's Vita or Mazembe. I was fortunate enough to play in Lubumbashi. You always have to be wary of the Leopards, otherwise, you get eaten. We are not scared, but we have a lot of respect for this team. It is one of the best teams in the group, and if it gains confidence, it can be dangerous," stated the coach of the Atlas Lions.
The DRC players had their final training session on Saturday, January 20, before the challenge of this Sunday.
Gédéon Kalulu, right-back, shares: "We have worked hard. There is one thing left, that is to confirm the good content we showed during the first match and we look forward to being more efficient in the second match to officially launch our Africa Cup of Nations. We ask all Congolese to support us and we will try to present the best image possible."
Charles Pickel, another starter in the first match, also wants revenge. "We have worked and we are ready for this match. We have two finals ahead, Morocco then Tanzania. We are not afraid of anyone, we know our qualities and we will do what we have to do," he added.
The kickoff of this game will be at 14:00 GMT, 15:00 Kinshasa time. Having easily won its first match (3-0) against Tanzania, Morocco is at the top of the group with 3 points. The DRC, like Zambia, has 1 point each.
Morocco is mentioned among the serious contenders for the cup of this 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations. While in the history of their confrontations Morocco has 5 victories compared to 3 for the DRC out of the 16 matches played, the last time the two teams crossed paths in an Africa Cup of Nations final phase was on January 16, 2017, in Gabon. The DRC had emerged victorious thanks to a goal by Junior Kabananga who had finished as the competition's top scorer with three goals.
Joseph Bahati