In what is expected to be a fiercely contested North African “Classico,” Moroccan coach Said Chiba claims the squad is not planning any sort of retaliation against Algeria.

The Maghreb teams face off in the quarterfinal of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday evening in Constantine.

When the two teams last faced off, it was in the U17 Arab Cup final last year, Algeria defeated Morocco on penalties, but according to Chiba, Algeria is solely focused on putting on a strong performance and competing for a spot in the World Cup.

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“There is no revenge on our minds.

“We are just going into the match prepared to play and try to get a place in the World Cup.

” The previous loss has no effect whatsoever,” said Chiba.

He added; “This time it is going to be different for both sides with new players, new plans and new ideas.

“We will definitely have a different approach to the game.”

Despite losing their most recent encounter against Zambia, Morocco finished first in Group B because to two victories over Nigeria and South Africa, and Chiba claims that it had no impact on the team’s preparation for the Algeria match.

“It absolutely does not have an effect because we changed many players and we needed to give everyone a chance.

“We have worked on the psychological aspect of the players because at this age, this is very important for them,” Chiba says.

“We have looked at their matches and we have seen some weaknesses that we could exploit.

“As a team we are ready for the game. We will try to play to our strength and game plan and we hope to clinch the ticket to the World Cup.”

“We are not preparing for this game in a special way.

“We will prepare just how we have prepared for the others and we will play at the same high level.

“We expect to have a fresher team with good rest and since we had one extra day, it might give us a small advantage but it is not a determining factor.”

The players, according to striker Adam Hanin, are not afraid and will just step onto the field to play their own game despite the fact that they are aware it would be a difficult contest with a lot of pressure.

“We have looked at their matches and we have seen some weaknesses that we could exploit.

“As a team we are ready for the game. We will try to play to our strength and game plan and we hope to clinch the ticket to the World Cup,” stated the FUS Rabat player.

The anticipated big house at the Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium in Constantine, according to Chiba, does not scare them and may even work in their favor because it would put pressure on the Algerian team to perform well.