Accra — Another crucial weekend of World Cup qualifying matches gets under way this weekend across the continent. Some African teams, as usual, have been warming up to do battle for one of the five berths at the finals in Japan and South Korea next year.
Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia are the three sides, who have mounted an elaborate preparation programme for just a single game, while the rest are keeping their plans close to their chest.
Tunisia Choose France
Weather conditions in southern France are just ideal for Tunisia to warm up for the World Cup qualifier against Congo Democratic Republic in Tunis this weekend. It is the second trip for the Tunisians to Europe, after a training camp in Spain for the African Nations Cup qualifying match against Morocco last month.
The Tunisians are heading for the match this weekend without any certainty as to whether, Italian coach, Francesco Scoglio wiould be available to handle the side. Scoglio could be joining his former club Genoa, after all, and end his World Cup aspirations with Tunisia.
TUNISIA SQUAD
Chokri El Ouaer, Radhi Jaïdi, Sirajeddine Chihi, Ali Zitouni, Kaïs Ghodhbane, Khaled Badra, Khaled, Azaïez, Hamdi Marzouki, Hassen Gabsi, Sami Laroussi, Zoubeïr Baya, Raouf Bouzaïene, Walid Azaïez, Maher Kanzari, Taoufik Hammami, Imed Mhedhebi, Zied Jaziri, Sabri Jaballah, Hatem Trabelsi, Issam Trabelsi, Sami Trabelsi, Jose Clayton.
Senegal In Marseille
Preparations were in full swing for Senegal, the Lions, who turned Marseille as their den for the Casablanca clash against Morocco. Bruno Metsu named an 18-man squad - all of them foreign-based players - just days after he ended a strike for his unpaid wages, which now seems to have been settled.
The bulk of the Lions come from the French league, most of whom play regularly in the first division with Sedan, Racing Lens, Saint Etienne and Rennes. But the Morocco match would be of great interest for Ousseynou Ndiour, who plays in Rabat for FUS, the club whose number one supporter is King Mohamed V,I and formerly under French coach, Phillipe Troussier, who led Japan to their second Asian Cup triumph last year in Lebanon.
THE SENEGAL SQUAD
France: Tony Sylva (Ajaccio), Omar Daf (Sochaux), Lamine Diatta (Rennes), Ferdinand Coly (Lens), Alcaly Camara (Nice), Alassane Ndour (St-Etienne), Salif Diao (Sedan), Pape Sarr (St-Etienne), Moussa Ndiaye (Sedan), Makhtar Ndiaye (Rennes), Aliou Cissé (Paris SG), Khalilou Fadiga (Auxerre), El Hadj Ousseynou Diouf (Lens), Souleymane Camara (Monaco), Amara Traoré (Gueugnon); Morocco: Ousseynou Ndiour (FUS Rabat), Greece: Ousmane Diop (Xanthi Skoda), Switzerland: Pape Thiaw (Lausanne).
Morocco Name 22-man Squad
Morocco may not line up an entirely foreign-based side against Senegal, but the Atlas Lions have had an enviable preparation for the match.
Humberto Coelho has named a 22-man squad after the Lions won a four-nations tournament in the United Arab Emirates last week. The tournament provided the Moroccans with adequate and competitive preparation to face the Senegalese.
The Portuguese coach has recalled Salaheddine Bassir from Spanish side, Deportivo la Coruna, after recovering from injury. Also from Deportivo is Atlas Lions skipper, Nourheddine Naybet, who has prolonged his contract with the Spanish side until 2005.
MOROCCO SQUAD Khalid Fouhami (Beverne), Driss Benzekri (RSS), Tarik Jarmoni (SCCM), Youssef Safri (RCA), Assas Othmane Assas (OCK), Moubarki Bouchaïb Moubarki (RCA), Noureddine Kacimi (RCA), Saber Abdelilah Saber (Naples), Amzine Gharib Amzine (Strasbourg), Ouaddou Abdeslam Ouaddou (FC Nancy), Naybet Noureddine Naybet (Deportivo la Corona), Rossi Youssef Rossi (Dunfermline), Jamal Sellami (Besiktas), Abdelkrim Hadrioui (AZ Alkmar), Regragui Walid Regraoui (FC Toulouse), Mustapha Hadji (Coventry), Lakhlej Taher Lakhlej (Southampton), Skitioui Tarik Skitioui (Willem II), Ramzi Adil Ramzi (PSV Eindoven), Salaheddine Bassir (Deportivo la Corona), Hasdda Abdeljalil Hadda (Sporting Gijon), Hassan Nader (Farense).
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