Morocco U23 team head coach, Issame Charaï has vowed to make a good start in the U23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) that gets underway on Saturday.The hosts will play Guinea in their opening Group A match at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex seeking to make their intentions known in the competition that serves as the qualifier to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.“The Federation has put us in excellent conditions in view of this tournament and we must represent the country well. We must not make mistakes,” said the coach.Round 1 is upon us 💥Take a look at #TotalEnergiesAFCONU23 first games 👇 pic.twitter.com/YNcGGj66rZ— #TotalEnergiesAFCONU23 🏆 (@CAF_Online) June 23, 2023 Charaï said they will not underrate Guinea because they qualified for the tournament by eliminating a tough Nigerian team.“Guinea represents a real opposition. That will not be an easy game and it will be up to us to stay disciplined and focused,” added the coach.The Moroccan U23 team will be motivated by the recent good performances of the senior men’s team that reached the semifinal stage of the FIFA World Cup 2022, the women’s senior team that qualified for the FIFA World Cup, and the U-17 team that also made it to the FIFA U-17 World Cup.##NAJAVA_MECA_7338192##Forward Ismaïl Saibari, a native of Spain said the team will try and borrow a leaf from the senior team who made history in the 2022 Qatar World Cup where they became the first African nation and first Arab nation to reach a World Cup semifinal.“We know why we are here. Every time I wear this red and green tunic, I feel ready for the mission. We cannot fail because our elders showed us the way in the last World Cup and it is now up to us to imitate them,” he added.المنتخب الوطني لأقل من 23 سنة يُجري آخر حصة تدريبية قبل لقاء غينيا📷 Last training session for our U23 National Team before tomorrow’s game against Guinea #DimaMaghrib 🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/pSSnrzdbZ3— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) June 23, 2023 Guinea, who will be making their maiden appearance in the event, have been in Rabat for 12 days fine tuning for the competition where they hope to leave a mark.“We are happy to be here, and we must keep our objectives in mind. We know each other perfectly. We are a family and are aware that this U23 Africa Cup of Nations is the last step in our “junior” course and we want to make an impression,” striker Algassime Bah said during the press conference.Eight teams will be battling for glory with the top three teams guaranteed qualification to the Paris Olympic Games 2024.Kenya Lionesses to play international WXV 3 tournament in DubaiGROUPSGroup A: Morocco, Ghana, Congo Brazzaville, GuineaGroup B: Egypt, Mali, Gabon, Niger
