Khaberni - The Moroccan and Saudi national teams are looking forward to seizing the lead in Group Two when they meet on Monday, in the third and final round of the tournament held in Qatar.
The Saudi team currently tops Group Two with six points and will go into their match against Morocco, who are second with four points, having already secured a spot in the quarterfinals. However, maintaining the lead will be their goal in a matchup expected to be highly exciting at the Lusail Stadium in Doha.
The Saudi national team performed well in its first two group matches, defeating Oman 2-1 before beating the Comoros 3-1 in the second round to secure their quarterfinal spot.
Salem Al-Dossari's brilliance was a highlight of the Saudi team's performance, as the best player in Asia contributed significantly to the win over Oman by creating two goals, and he also assisted two goals and scored one against the Comoros.
On the other side, the Moroccan team delivered a reassuring performance against Comoros in their first match, before falling into the trap of a goalless draw with Oman in the second round, a match that saw Abdelrazzaq Hamdallah, the team's striker, get sent off, meaning he will miss the match against Saudi Arabia before potentially entering the quarterfinal matchups.
Tariq Sektioui, the technical director of the Moroccan team, is confident in his ability to overcome Hamdallah's absence and put on a strong performance against Saudi Arabia in order to achieve the win and the three points to advance to the next round as the group leader.
A draw would be enough for Saudi Arabia to ensure their leadership, while a win is the only requirement for Morocco if they wish to top the group.
Despite the absence of Hamdallah in the upcoming match against Saudi Arabia, the presence of players like Mohamed Rabie Khairy, Walid El Karti, Tariq Tissoudali, and Karim El Barkaoui provides Morocco with deeper options in the attack line.
