MOROCCO head coach Vahid Halilhodzic has said he is confident his side can silence Egypt winger Mohamed Salah in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal in Yaounde.
The knockout clash will pit the Liverpool star against Watford left-back Adam Masina, who was taken off at half-time when he struggled to contain Salah in Liverpool’s 5-0 win in October.
Halilhodzic told ESPN he believes Masina will enjoy better fortunes in the rematch between the two players, even if he may need a little help from his teammates.
“Over the last two-to-three months, Salah was the best player in the world,” Halilhodzic said. “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.”
Salah has scored just once during the tournament so far, while Egypt have netted just twice — against Sudan and Guinea-Bissau — in four matches.
“We definitely need help to neutralise his talent and ensure it’s not expressed in this match,” Halilhodzic added.
“He’s fantastic, but I also think we have players capable of stopping him and blocking his actions.
“Every match has its own specific preparation, and every player has his role — defensive or offensive — every knows the detail of what to do, right down to the third-choice goalkeeper, everyone knows his role.”