Science – Zuhair Alali
This Saturday, Moroccan football fans will have a date with two strong matches, for the quarter-finals of the Throne Cup season (2022/23), the first in which Raja Athletic will clash with Hassania Agadir starting at five in the afternoon, and the second will bring together Moghreb Tetouan and Moghreb Fes at around eight o’clock. evening.
The Grand Agadir Stadium will host the summit of this round between the Hassania Agadir team and its counterpart, Raja Athletic Club, who hope to win the Silver Cup title in order to replace the championship shield, which is now close to the Royal Army.
Fares Ghazala Al-Sous enters the match ecstatic that he defeated the military team in the match that brought them together for the 27th round of the national professional championship, on the same field.
The two teams had previously met in the last 16 finals, which Al-Akhdar won in their favor via penalty kicks, which increased the enthusiasm of the landowners to repay the debt.
Media reports revealed that the Hassania management office allocated an important financial grant to the players, to motivate them to overcome Raja and reach the semi-finals.
But the crisis that recently erupted between the players of the Soussi team and the club president, Belaid Belfkir, due to their financial dues that are still pending with him, may stand in the favor of the guests, who in turn are seeking not to go out with a secret of nostalgia this season.
Although the Green Team is still competing for the championship shield, in which it occupies runner-up with 60 points behind the leader, Al-Zaeem, it is awaiting two strong matches, the first against RS Berkane (round 27) and the second against traditional rivals Wydad Athletic Club (round 29), from which it will be difficult for it to get out. With six full points, which makes the Royal Army the closest to winning the title unless surprises occur.
Josef Zinnbauer’s squad has a distinguished record this season, not recording any losses in the national championship with 17 victories and nine draws, and it is the only club that has not fallen so far.
The German coach programmed intensive training sessions for his players in order to prepare well for today’s battle, as he aspires to translate the team’s brilliance into winning titles.
Sources close to the club confirmed that Zinnbauer urged his players to respect the opponent and redouble their efforts to achieve qualification.
According to the same sources, the team’s coach is keeping in mind the possibility of repeating last season’s scenario by going to extra halves or even lucky kicks.
The two teams who qualify in the semi-finals will meet the winner of the match between Olympique Khouribga and Mouloudia Oujda, which will be played next Wednesday.
For the same round, the Moghreb Tetouan team will host its counterpart, Moghreb Fes, at its home stadium, Sania Ramel, with its eye on the semi-finals.
The two sides are living together in difficult situations, in light of the series of negative results they achieved this season.
While Moghreb Tetouan succeeded in ensuring that it remained among the elite clubs after reaching 34 points in eighth place, “Al-Mas” (30 points) still needs a win or a draw at the very least from its three matches in the league, in order to confirm its survival from falling, as Only six points separate it from the penultimate place, which can be corrected.
The representative of the city of Fez will try to exploit the shaky morale of his opponent after his defeat last Tuesday at the hands of RS Berkane for the postponed score of the 25th round.
Like most of the clubs that left the title race, the representatives of the White Dove and Morocco Fes are counting on the Silver Cup to save their season and satisfy the supporters who are hungry for titles.
The members of the national framework, Abdul Latif Grendo, will try not to be affected by the recent loss and maintain their focus to go as far as possible in the Throne Cup competition.
It is worth noting that the victor of tonight’s match will face in the next round either the Royal Army or Olympique Dashira, who will meet next Wednesday for the quarter-finals.