Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw has labelled Morocco as the clear favourites ahead of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) showdown.
The Lions of Teranga will take on the tournament hosts on Sunday night at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, with kick-off set for 19:00 GMT.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Thiaw acknowledged the difficulty of facing Morocco on home soil, pointing to the North Africans’ impressive run to the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup as evidence of their quality.
Despite the challenge, the Senegal coach insisted his side is fully focused on the task ahead, stressing the importance of technical and tactical discipline.
“Playing against the host country is never easy. But in the end, it’s 11 players against 11. I hope everything goes well,” he said.
“To win, we must be ready technically and tactically. It will be a tough game against a strong Moroccan team, which reached the World Cup 2022 semi-finals.”
Thiaw noted that Morocco’s World Cup success raised the standard of African football and warned that the hosts will be determined to capitalise on home advantage.
“It raised the level of African football, and tomorrow we will face a strong team that will do its best to win.
“We will play the game and do our best to win. We know how to handle these situations.”
He concluded by reiterating Morocco’s status as favourites, citing their superior FIFA ranking.
“The favourite is Morocco. They are first in the FIFA ranking (in Africa), and we are 18th,” he added.
