Morocco is set to face Mozambique on September 9 in a crucial match for the African Cup of Nations qualifiers for South Africa 2013. Coach Eric Gerets has unveiled the 23-player squad for the encounter, highlighting the return of Marouane Chamakh, while Abdelaziz Barrada is notably absent.
In preparation for the Mozambique challenge, Eric Gerets, opting for experience, deviates from his recent policy favoring regular players and includes Marouane Chamakh in the lineup. The Moroccan international from Arsenal has been short on playing time with his club. Another comeback is noted with Adel Taarabt, the Queens Park Rangers player, who missed Morocco’s friendly against Guinea in August but is now back in the squad according to his club’s official announcement. However, Abdelaziz Barrada has not made the cut this time.
Morocco will first travel to Mozambique for the match on September 9 and then host them on October 12, 2012. Eric Gerets, the former Olympique de Marseille coach, acknowledges the challenging task ahead and plans to address it with a focus on aerial strategies. He briefly explained the exclusion of Abdelaziz Barrada, despite the player’s impressive performance in La Liga and the London Olympic Games.
The selected Moroccan squad includes:
Goalkeepers: Nadir Lamyaghri (WAC Casablanca), Aziz El Qinani, Yassine Bounou (Atlético Madrid).
Defenders: Zakaria Bergdich (Lens), Mickaël Basser (Bursaspor), Rachid Slimani (Raja Casablanca), Mehdi Benatia (Udinese), Mustafa Mrani (FAR Rabat), Ismail Benlamaalem (Bani Yas).
Midfielders: Issam El Adoua (Vitoria Guimaraes), Houssine Kharja (Al-Arabi), Karim El Ahmadi (Aston Villa), Ahmed Jahouh (MAT Tétouan), Younès Belhanda (Montpellier), Mbark Boussoufa (Anzhi Makhachkala), Adel Taarabt (Queens Park Rangers), Zakaria Labyad (Sporting Portugal).
Forwards: Youssef El Arabi (Granada), Mounir El Hamdaoui (Fiorentina), Marouane Chamakh (Arsenal), Yassine Salhi (Raja Casablanca).
