RONALDO FACTOR
Cristiano Ronaldo was a surprise omission from Portugal’s starting eleven for their match against Switzerland in the last 16, with his replacement, Goncalo Ramos, scoring a hat-trick in a 6-1 win.
But Regragui would prefer to see the Portuguese team sheet without the name of international men’s football’s greatest goalscorer.
“They’re going to be fresh,” he said. “I don’t know if Ronaldo’s going to play, but I hope he doesn’t. I know he’s one of the best players in history so I don’t want him to play.”
Morocco’s success in Qatar has sparked celebrations back home, but also in several European countries where the Moroccan diaspora live.
Fourteen of Regragui’s 26-man squad were born outside the African country.
“People are identifying with us and we’ve managed to unite Moroccans behind this football team,” he said. “I think that’s worth more than anything, it’s worth more than money, it’s worth more than titles.
“We’ve made people happy, we’ve made people proud, but that’s not the only reason we’re here – we’re here to win matches and go as far as we can in this tournament.”
Morocco have had a series of injury concerns, with full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui playing despite not being fully fit.
Centre-back Nayef Aguerd hobbled off injured in the Spain match but could be ready to play on Saturday.
“Lots of injuries, people sick. We’ve played lots of games without people 100 per cent,” said Regragui.
“I’m proud for that because nobody has seen Morocco at 100 per cent power. Aguerd is waiting tomorrow to see if he can play or not.”
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