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By: Oma Akatugba
Moroccan international and Ajax attacking midfielder, Hakim Ziyech has stayed on the path of caution in his assessment his country’s AFCON chances.
Ziyech told Omasports in an interview that he expects the biennial tournament to be tough as there are many good African teams now. He said while Morocco also stands a chance, he won’t stick out his neck for an outright victory. ”African football is different. Anything can happen. It’s different from football in Europe. In the last two to three Nations’ Cups, countries like Zambia has played well and they can win also. We can also win and we have two months to prepare. We will wait and see.” The Atlas Lions of
Morocco have been tipped as one of the favourites for the 2019 AFCON. Morocco’s best finish in the competition since 1998 was in Tunisia 2004, where they were defeated by the host nation in the final.
Hervé Renard-turored Morocco are also being fronted as a team with a great generation of players with Mehdi Benatia, Achraf Hakimi, Soufiane Boufal, Younnes Belhanda and others making up a strong final 23 for the tournament.
Ziyech, who was born in the Netherlands, had a sterling season in the colours of Ajax, hitting double figures in goals and assists in the just concluded season, and hopes to continue his rich vein of form in Egypt.