National U20 team head coach Salim Babu is unperturbed by the heavy presence of professional players in the Moroccan team hours to the clash between the two sides. The Kenyan team, Rising Stars will take on Morocco on Thursday at the June 30 Stadium, in Egypt, in what will be their opening match of the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations finals (AFCON U20). The Atlas Cubs are clearly the pre-match favourites going by their experience in the tournament and calibre of players coach Mohammed Ouahbi has at his disposal. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8894342##While Morocco are making their seventh appearance and chasing their second title at the tournament, the Kenyan boys are in their maiden appearance, having punched the ticket during the qualifiers held in October last year in Tanzania. Among the star players in the Moroccan team is defender Naoufel El Hannah, who plays professional football with French champions Paris-Saint Germain junior side. Stade Rennais defender Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal and FC Twente centre-back Julien Misbahi. Union Touarga striker Mouad Dahhak are other players expected to start against Stars Rising Stars coach unfazed by presence of heavyweights in AFCON U20 Group BConversely, skipper Amos Wanjala is the sole player featuring anywhere close to the top level, as the central defender is attached to Spanish fifth-tier side Athletic Club Torrellano. Despite the rift of tournament experience and quality of leagues in which the Kenyan and Moroccan players play in, coach Babu is not losing sleep over it.Babu insists that he has assembled and trained his arsenals well and is banking on the team spirit and work to get results against all the odds. “We have a good team that is equal to the task. Most of them have played together all the way from the U18 team. They understand and complement each other well. They also play good football. It will not be easy for them (Morocco),” said Babu.Probable line up: How coach Babu will likely tweak squad following injury to key playerMorocco qualified for the finals of the by winning the UNAF zonal tournament held in November 2024 in Egypt.Besides winning the title in 1997, they have been quarter-finalists three times. They were also third in 1987 and fourth in 2005.Full Morocco U20 squad:Goalkeepers:Yanis Benchaaouch, Ibrahim Gomez, Abdelhakim MisbahiDefenders:Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, Ismail Bekhti, Ismail Baouf, Issa Habri, Ahmed Khattir, Hamza Kouton, Julien Misbahi, Fouad ZahouaniMidfielders:Ismail Aouad, Amine Boukameer, Anas Mkaoui, Noufel Hennach, Houssam Essadeq, Reda Lalaoui, Saad El HaddadForwards:Aymen Arkiq, Adam Mokhtari, Ilyass Boumssaoudi, Mouad Dahhak, Younes Abdellaoui, Adnan Khroubi, Othmane Maama, Mohamed Yasser Zabiri
