Morocco head coach Walid Regragui has offered a glimpse into his tactical thinking ahead of Friday’s heavyweight quarterfinal showdown with Cameroon.
The Atlas Lions will face the Indomitable Lions in the last eight of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, with kick-off set for 19:00 GMT.
Speaking ahead of the encounter, Regragui suggested a shift in approach could be on the cards, stressing that adaptability will be key against a side of Cameroon’s calibre.
“We dominated and controlled all the matches, and the number of chances supports this claim. This was due to the nature of the opponents. In the next match, I will change the formation, and if it requires me to close the gaps and adopt the Qatar World Cup plan, I will return to it if it is our way to win the cup.”
The Moroccan tactician dismissed the idea that his team must always play expansive football, insisting that pragmatism may be required.
“Playing with an open chest is neither necessary nor mandatory in all matches, including the upcoming Cameroon match. Therefore, we will look at and read the opponent and prepare as we should. In order to win, we must be very humble and make great sacrifices.”
Morocco’s potential return to a more conservative setup would echo the strategy that underpinned their remarkable run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where a disciplined, compact style and swift counter-attacks carried them past Belgium, Spain and Portugal in historic fashion.
