French Coaches Go Head To Head
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Gabon will take a total of 17 foreign-based players in their squad to Morocco for their World Cup qualifier in Casablanca on Saturday but still go into the game as heavy underdogs.
Gabon coach Alain Giresse, one of the former greats of French football, goes up against a former France manager in Roger Lemerre, who is seeking to qualify for a third successive World Cup finals with a third different country.
Morocco, who missed out on qualification to both the 2002 and 2006 finals, will hand the responsibility for ensuring a full haul of points at the start of their Group A campaign to in-form strikers Maroune Chamakh and Mounir El Hamdaoui.
Chamakh is set for a transfer to the English Premier League next season after his performance in the current Ligue 1 campaign for Girondins Bordeaux while El Hamdaoui’s goals in the Dutch league will almost certainly assure a rare title for his club AZ’67 Alkmaar.
Morocco will know they have to win the opening game if they are to have any chance of usurping group favourites Cameroon, who are away at Togo on Saturday.
Group A is expected to be a straight fight between the Cameroonians and Atlas Lions with both Gabon and Togo serving as a side show.
