Morocco boss reveals how he plans to stop Mohamed Salah

The Atlas Lions will face Salah and Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday for a quarter-final clash.

Morocco have ‘prepared tactically’ to neutralize Egypt captain Mohamed Salah, according to manager Vahid Halilhodzic.

The North African giants will compete for a semi-final spot on Sunday at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium for their respective AFCON campaigns, having progressed to the last eight of the tournament.

Morocco left-back Adam Masina, who plays for Watford in the Premier League, is set to have the unenviable task of stopping Liverpool and Egypt forward Salah.

The last time the pair met in October, Masina’s Watford lost 5-0 to Liverpool with Salah scoring the fourth goal.

Good luck to @MoSalah and #TeamEgypt in the #AFCON2021 quarter-final this afternoon! 🇪🇬👑 pic.twitter.com/83DBRlxdXd

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 30, 2022

‘We have players capable of stopping him’

However, with a little help from his Morocco teammates, Halilhodzic is confident Masina won’t be in for such a thrashing this time around.

“Over the last two-to-three months, Salah was the best player in the world,” the coach told ESPN. “He’s been absolutely unstoppable with his club, so yes, we’ve looked at videos of his qualities, and we’ve prepared tactically for this specific meeting against a fantastic player.

“We’ll try to block his qualities, and Adam or someone else [will take responsibility for this]. It can’t be one player alone, he needs help alongside him.”

Halilhodzic added: “We definitely need help to neutralize his talent and ensure it’s not expressed in this match. He’s fantastic, but I also think we have players capable of stopping him and blocking his actions.”

Salah has scored once in his four appearances for Egypt in AFCON so far, although the Pharaohs have only conceded one goal at the same time.