Teams!
Morocco (an unnecessarily cautious 4-2-3-1): Bounou; Hakimi, Benatia, Saiss, Dirar; Bourabia, Bennasser; Boussoufa, Amarabat, Ziyech; En-Nesyri.
Namibia (a classical 4-4-2): Kazapua; Horaeb, Hanamub, Haoseb, Nyambe; Shitembi, Hotto, Starke, Ketjijere; Limbondi, Shalulie.
Preamble
There will, eventually, come a day when every international tournament in the world contains every international team in the world, matches played around the clock in perpetuity and streamed live onto our eyelids whether we want to watch them or not. But until that point, each tournament will boast a group of death, and at Afcon 2019, it’s Group D.
Côte d’Ivoire, champions in 2015, have the best individual players, and South Africa are solid, which brings us to today’s teams. It’s been a while since Morocco did much in the competition and they made a right and unnecessary mess at last summer’s World Cup. But Hervé Renard, their manager, has lifted this trophy twice before, and in Hakim Ziyech have a player good enough to light up the whole of Egypt. If he’s on, and others help here and there, Morocco might just do something, because they their defence is up there with Africa’s best.
On the face of things, Namibia should present them with no problem this afternoon. They are light on names and shy of goals, qualifying with just five in eight games in the process of finishing second in a group won by Guinea-Bissau, the 118th best side in the world according to Fifa. But for many of their players, this is the opportunity of a lifetime, a factor that must not be overlooked, and anyone who sat through Morocco’s match with Iraq last summer will remember how lacklustre they looked when denied space in the final third.
Kick-off: 3.30pm BST, 4.30pm local time.
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