Chancel Mbemba and his Democratic Republic of Congo mates welcome their Moroccan counterpart this Friday at the Stade de Martyrs in Kinshasa in the first leg of the winner take all 2022 FIFA World Cup playoff game promising fireworks.
The fixture will certainly be amongst the biggest in the career of players of both sides and preparations have gone
This set of Congolese players have never achieved the feat of being at the FIFA World Cup finals since their elders last did in 1974.
The heavyweight clash between the Atlas Lions of Morocco and the Leopards of DR Congo will certainly be an attraction.
Head to Head Record
This would be the sixth meeting between these two nations. Previous meetings have produced a victory apiece while the other games ended in a draw- This time around its the battle to be at the 2022 FIFA world cup tournament.
- AFCON 1972: Morocco 1-1 DR Congo
- AFCON 1976: Morocco 1-0 DR Congo
- AFCON 1988: Morocco 1-1 DR Congo
- AFCON 1992: Morocco 1-1 DR Congo
- AFCON 2017: DR Congo 1-1 Morocco
Players to watch
Théo Bongonda Mbul’Ofeko Batomboat who is enjoying a great season in Belgium could shape not just this game, but the tie for DR Congo. The former Belgium youth international has scored ten goals in 27 games in the Belgian top-flight championship this campaign. Securing his services to add to attacking quality like Cedric Bakambu and Dieumerci Mbokan is a welcomed development for coach Héctor.
The possible battle between Theo upfront and Wolverhampton defender Romain Saïss will be one of the area of attraction in this fixture.
27-year old defender Chancel Mbemba Mangulu of FC Porto who has featured on 66 occasions for the senior national could have Ayoub El Kaabi as an unwanted customer.
PSG’s star full-back Achraf Hakimi could also stand out in this fixture.
Injury or absences
Barcelona and Morocco’s Abdel Samad Zalzouli will miss the game in Kinshasa because of a muscle problem. The DR Congo staff have announced the team will be without France-based midfielder Samuel Moutoussamy of Lille who got injured last weekend.
The head Coaches
It is a battle between experienced men – French trainer Vahid Halilhodzic of Morcco and his Argentine colleague Héctor Raúl Cúper. Both men are no strangers to big games and have the pedigree to deliver.
Héctor was appointed coach of DR Congo in May 2021 two years after Vahid took charge of the Atlas Lions.
“We will try. We are sure that what we are going to do tomorrow on the pitch can give us victory. The expectation of every Congolese is that we win. It won’t be easy. We know that qualifying for the World Cup and the joy we can give to the Congolese people is immensed. The big effort is that we will try to achieve this objective, to qualify for the World Cup,” Héctor stated during the pre-match press conference.
“It will be a complicated match with probably a full stadium. But we remain confident. We have a quality group of players and that if we put the necessary ingredients to qualify,” Moroccan defender Romain Saïss stated.
Attendance
The Leopards of DR Congo will have their fans in thousands at the Stade de Martyrs in Kinshasa for the game before making a trip to Casablanca for the return game four days later at the Mohamed V Stadium.
The winner of the double-header will qualify for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup as one of five African representative.
Source: CAF
Frederick Marfo is a sportswriter and social worker well known for his advocacy for equal chances and rights for all athletes, especially those with disabilities.
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