Nigeria are set to land in Rabat ahead of Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final against hosts Morocco, with Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle offering a generous tribute to the Atlas Lions and their manager Walid Regragui, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Super Eagles will touch down in the Moroccan capital on Monday afternoon following their 2-0 quarter-final victory over Algeria, setting up a heavyweight last-four clash against a Moroccan side who have been equally impressive throughout the tournament.
Nigeria are the only team at AFCON 2025 with a 100 per cent record, winning all five of their matches so far, while Morocco have gone unbeaten, recording four wins and a draw. Both sides produced their most convincing displays in the quarter-finals, with Morocco also winning 2-0 against Cameroon.
As anticipation builds for one of the biggest fixtures of the tournament, Chelle used his some of his pre-match comments to highlight both the quality of the opposition and the unique pressure that comes with hosting a major international competition.
After the victory against Algeria in the quarter-final, Chelle said:
“Morocco is a great team. It’s never easy for the tournament host team because there’s enormous pressure.
“People say that Morocco faced great difficulties at the beginning of the tournament, but I say they are a great team, and there’s a lot of hard work behind everything they’ve achieved?”
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Chelle salutes Regragui ahead of Nigeria vs Morocco
Chelle was particularly warm in his praise of Morocco’s head coach Walid Regragui, highlighting the scale of preparation required to compete at a home Africa Cup of Nations.
The Super Eagles tactician added: “The coach (Regragui) is fantastic and he has great players. I think he has prepared very well for the Africa Cup of Nations. You can’t imagine the work that goes into preparing for the AFCON.
“I take my hat off to him. For example, the coach analyzes the matches of all the teams participating in the AFCON, so we’re talking about analyzing more than 100 matches.”
The Nigerian coach also stressed that Morocco’s place in the semi-finals is fully deserved and framed Wednesday’s contest as a meeting between two teams in top form rather than a clash shaped by pressure or expectation.
He emphasized: “Morocco has qualified for the semi-finals, and they deserve it. I’m very happy for him (Regragui) and his team. It will be a great match between two excellent teams, and the best team will win.
“Now, I’m proud to face this great coach because he truly is a great coach. Try to put yourself in the shoes of a national team coach competing in the Africa Cup of Nations in his own country.”
Nigeria’s delegation travelled from Fez to Rabat on Monday afternoon and will be based at the Rehab Hotel in the capital as they complete their final preparations.
The semi-final will be played on Wednesday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, with kick-off scheduled for 9:00 PM GMT+1.
With both teams arriving in peak form and carrying the weight of expectation from two of Africa’s biggest footballing nations, the contest is shaping up to be one of the defining matches of AFCON 2025.
