Morocco national team are all set to take on Ivory Coast in the final match day of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying scheduled for Saturday, November 11 in Abidjan.
The Atlas Lions arrived in the West African nation late Wednesday, led by coach Herve Renard, who still enjoys wide popularity in Ivory Coast, having led the team to clinch the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.
Morocco will hold their first and only open training session on Friday at the venue of the match – Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, according to organisers. Leaders of Group C with 9 points, the visitors need just a draw to qualify to their fifth FIFA World Cup tournament.
Ivory Coast were toppled from the summit of the group following a loss to Gabon and a draw against Mali in previous matchdays. The Elephants now hold 8 points and must claim all three against the Lions in order to qualify.
Coach Marc Wilmots said on Tuesday that his charges were ‘200% ready’ for the clash whose outcome could determine the fate of the Belgian manager at the helm of the Ivorian team. Morocco were not accompanied by their 8,000 supporters as previously announced but reports indicate that the fans would fly in in batches before kick off on Saturday evening.
