EXTRA Renard's Morocco out to upset odds in World Cup
15 Jun 2018 / 02:55 H.
FILED - Players of Morocco pose for a team picture before a match against Serbia in Turin, Italy, 23 March 2018. Morocco earned their berth for the fifth World Cup in their history with 2-0 in Ivory Coast in the last round of the qualifiers, and they achieved one feat that will clearly makes them a tough rival: they were the only African side that did not concede any goals in their last six qualifiers for Russia 2018. Photo: Massimiliano Ferraro/NurPhoto via ZUMA Press/dpa
St Petersburg (dpa) - Herve Renard says his Morocco team are underdogs in World Cup Group B ahead of their debut against Iran on Friday, but they will be fighting hard to triumph.
"For us it's rather simple, we have three teams who in the FIFA rankings are all above us, are superior to us, and we've prepared to face Iran like we've prepared to face Spain and Portugal," coach Renard told a news conference Thursday.
"We're not here to take pictures of monuments in St Petersburg, we're here because we want to compete. "(Iran coach Carlos) Queiroz is always full of surprises, but since the draw we've thought about the Irani team a lot. We've been working and observing for over six months."