Gerets and Trabelsi agree facing each other is no drawback

By Peter Auf der Heyde Jan 22, 2012, 18:45 GMT

Libreville, Gabon - The coaches of Morocco and Tunisia agree that facing each other in their opening Africa Cup of Nations match on Monday is not a drawback.

The north African rivals are considered the favorites to qualify for the quarter-finals from the Libreville-based group C, which also comprises co-hosts Gabon and rookies Niger.

Tunisian coach Eric Gerets told dpa on Sunday that it made little difference whom they were facing in their opening game. 'We play against Tunisia and they are, with us, the favorites of the group but it does not mean that we will go through. We have to see game by game.'

'The first game is extremely important because it takes the pressure away if you are able to win it. But if you don't win it, it will be a lot of pressure for the remaining matches.'

His Tunisian counterpart Sami Trabelsi agreed with the former Belgian international.

'It is not a bad thing to play our first game against Morocco. It is a north African derby, so we are hoping that is a good game for both the teams.

'I would like to play good football and win the game. In a way the second and third games are more important than the first one,' Trabelsi said.

Tunisia, who won the tournament at home in 2004, won the CHAN tournament for African-based players in 2010 in Sudan and Trabelsi would like to see his team build on that.

'We now have our players who play outside Africa and they have the experience to do well. Playing in this competition is different than playing in the CHAN, it is another level and we have to play better than we did in Sudan.'

Gerets, who was capped 86 times as a defender for Belgium, meanwhile told dpa that he expected an attacking game rather than caution on Monday.

'It will be a game with two teams who will attack, but not forget to defend also, because if you go 100 per cent to attack then you receive a goal and it is difficult afterwards to come back from that,' Gerets said.

In the absence of defending champions Egypt, as well as traditional African footballing powerhouses Cameroon and Nigeria, the competition is considered wide open, with Morocco being touted as one of the countries that can lift the trophy.

Gerets, who has won league titles in four different countries and took over the 1976 African champions Morocco two years ago, said that he was impressed with the organization of the tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

'The facilities are amazing. I know it is more difficult in Africa than in Europe, but people are really trying to give the best they have. Up to now, there is nothing to complain about,' he said.

Morocco is the first national team coaching position for Gerets after having been in charge of his former club PSV Eindhoven, as well as, amongst others, Kaiserslautern, Wolfsburg, Galatasaray and Olympique Marseille.

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