Morocco travel to South Africa for Lesotho AFCON qualifier

Morocco have travelled to South Africa for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Lesotho as the Atlas Lions look to build on their winning start to the campaign.

The Moroccan delegation left the country on Saturday morning for Johannesburg ahead of Tuesday’s Group match.

The national team opted to use a special flight for the journey, with the plane scheduled to stop in Douala, Cameroon, to refuel before continuing to South Africa.

All the players selected for the match travelled with the squad, including Brahim Diaz.

The Real Madrid midfielder missed Morocco’s 2-0 victory over Gabon on Friday because of a minor injury, but was included in the travelling group for the trip to South Africa.

Morocco will now continue their preparations after arriving in the country, with the coaching staff planning three training sessions before the team completes its preparations with an official session on Monday.

That final training session will take place at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, the venue for Tuesday’s match against Lesotho.

The Atlas Lions head into the fixture with confidence after beginning their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Gabon.

Another win against Lesotho would allow Morocco to maintain the momentum from their opening match and strengthen their position at the top of the group.

The team will therefore have little time to rest after the journey, with preparations continuing immediately ahead of the second round of fixtures.

The coaching staff have planned the schedule around the match in Bloemfontein, with the three training sessions in South Africa followed by the final official session on Monday.

Brahim Diaz’s inclusion in the travelling party will also provide Morocco with another option as they prepare for their second qualifying match, after he was unavailable for the opening victory against Gabon.

Morocco will face Lesotho on Tuesday knowing that another positive result would keep them firmly on course after their successful start to the qualifying campaign.

The Atlas Lions’ immediate objective is to turn that opening victory into another three points and maintain their position at the top of the group.