Morocco will battle with Ivory Coast in their second 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group D match at the Al Salam Stadium in Egypt on Friday.
Kickoff is at 17:00 GMT.
The Atlas Lions began their group stage campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Namibia’s Brave Warriors on Sunday.
An own goal by Namibian midfielder Itamunua Keimuine handed the North African giants the victory and they are placed second on the Group D standings.
Morocco midfielder Mbark Boussoufa feels that Herve Renard’s charges will need to produce a better performance against Ivory Coast.
“We were the better side (against Namibia) and missed many chances. The first game is always difficult,” Boussoufa said.
“We are happy to win even by a slim margin. We hope to continue on good results and to perform better next time.”
Al Shabab midfielder Boussoufa scooped the Man of the Match award after their clash with Namibia and he will be keen to inspire the 1976 Afcon champions to another victory.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast also recorded a victory in their first group match as they edged out South Africa’s Bafana Bafana 1-0 on Monday.
Jonathan Kodjia’s solitary goal was able to earn the Elephants a victory which took the West African giants to the top of the Group D standings.
Ivory Coast captain Serge Aurier has promised their supporters that they will do their best to secure a victory against Morocco.
“We are very happy. For so long we always failed to win our opening game. We were the better side especially in the first half (against South Africa),” Aurier said.
“Our target was the maximum points and we did that. We have a few days to rest before meeting Morocco. We will do our best to please our supporters.”
Tottenham Hotspur right-back Aurier was named Man of the Match after their clash with South Africa and he will be eager to lead the two-time Afcon champions to another win.
In Head-to-Head stats, Morocco and Ivory Coast have clashed 19 times.
Both teams have recorded six victories, while seven matches ended in a draw.
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