The Atlas Lions kicked off their Group C campaign with a 1-1 draw against Brazil, and they will need a win to stay on course to qualify for the knockout stage against Scotland at Boston Stadium.
Ahead of the fixture, Ouahbi has predicted a different game from their clash against Brazil, insisting their opponents will show up with a physical style of game, adding they are quick on the ball.
Morocco will keep rhythm
“The Brazil match was tactical, tomorrow's (Friday’s) clash will be physical,” Ouahbi told reporters. “The match against Scotland will be different because they are quick with the ball.
“We have prepared the players to be ready. We do not want to keep the same performance we had against Brazil. We want to improve.
“Every match is difficult in its own way. Internationally, there are no small teams, and our match against Brazil is not an end in itself.”
With Scotland beating Haiti 1-0 in the other group fixture, Ouahbi said: “We have one point and they have three. They are ahead of us and we have to do our best. It will be a hard match.”
Quahbi added: “We have different options, and we will keep our identity and our way of playing. We want to control the rhythm of the match.
“We can change the formation and positions, but the most important thing is cohesion at the right time,” he said. “I am confident we can produce a better level and make significant progress.”
During the 1998 edition, Morocco secured a 3-0 win against Scotland during the final Group A match of the FIFA World Cup in Saint-Étienne, France.
Salaheddine Bassir scored twice, and Abdeljalil Hadda added a goal to eliminate Scotland from the tournament.
Despite the dominant victory, Morocco was also eliminated in the group stage because Norway secured a late 2-1 comeback win against Brazil in the other group match.
Morocco with good defence
Asked whether Morocco will be in a position to come tops again, Ouahbi played down comparisons saying the current squad is focused on Friday’s game rather than past results.
“Some people want us to win 3-0 like in 1998, but I will not talk about that. The players are focused on the match. That happened in a beautiful time,” said Ouahbi.
“The match will be different. We have a very good defence and we are very confident. Everyone is doing his best in this regard, so I do not think we have problems in defence.”
On injury concerns, he said: “All the players were present in the training session, and playing 90 minutes against Brazil was not easy.
“During the previous game, we made changes because we wanted to win against Brazil. We know some players cannot play 90 minutes in every match, but the substitutions made us stronger and improved our performance.
“I think we will do the same in the next match.”
Speaking on behalf of the players, Morocco midfielder Azzedine Ounahi said: “We have a high spirit. Why shouldn’t we when we have 40 million Moroccans behind us?
“Tomorrow’s (Friday) match will be even more difficult than the one against Brazil. Scotland have three points and we only have one, so we must not forget that. We have to win to secure the points we need.”
On Morocco’s previous 3-0 win against Scotland, Ounahi responded: “I remember that match. We played very well.
“I have not spoken about it with the players because we are living in a different time.”
After playing Scotland, Morocco will conclude their group campaign against Haiti on June 24th at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia.
