Pre-match quotes: Libya vs Equatorial Guinea
Omar Al Maryami (Head Coach, Libya)
We must take Equatorial Guinea seriously. No question of underestimating our opponent. Often, teams that are underestimated create surprises. So, we will respect all our opponents. The level is almost the same and there is not a big difference between the four teams. I know that my players will be more motivated against Nigeria because it is a great tenor, but I will try to explain to them that we must have the same motivation. After, we must approach every game, especially since all the players are ready.
The organization on the pitch will make the difference. We will approach our matches with the same state of mind. Facing Equatorial Guinea, we will do our best to win. We won the trophy in 2014, but that's a thing of the past. It is true that it is a glorious past, but we must think about the future and why not, brandish the trophy once again?
I’m happy to play this tournament in a country like Morocco, which has all the means because the CHAN is a competition similar to the AFCON
Mohamed Nashnush (Captain, Libya)
We won the CHAN in 2014 in South Africa and now we want to win this competition in 2018. We will do our utmost best to win this cup. The coach arrived late, but he had time to know the group well. In 2014, we won the first match and that allowed us to win the tournament. For this reason, we want to start this tournament on a high note to gain more confidence. We are very comfortable in Morocco. It is a country that has all the means. Organizationally, all has been good and so is infrastructure. I hope that Morocco will be able to organize the next World Cup to be held on our continent.
Rodolfo Bodipo (coach of Equatorial Guinea)
We came here (Morocco) very motivated with the aim of trying to create a surprise. This is our first participation and people are eager to discover the level of local players in Equatorial Guinea. I think we were not lucky because we inherited a tough group with strong teams like Libya and Nigeria. We have a big problem - lack of competition - because our championship has been on hold for more than two months. We tried to fill this void with a special preparatory programme and I hope it will be beneficial for us. The players are ready. There is no pressure on them because we have replaced the word pressure with passion. I have asked them to enjoy themselves on the pitch.