Preview: Pressure mounts on Atlas Lions to find form in Zambia clash before round of 16

Host nation Morocco seeks to silence critics and secure top spot in Group A on Monday against a resilient Zambia side fighting for its first AFCON knockout appearance in over a decade.

Tournament hosts Morocco will face Zambia at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium this Monday to conclude Group A.

While the Atlas Lions have already guaranteed their place in the Round of 16, head coach Walid Regragui is under pressure to deliver a more convincing performance.

Following a narrow victory over Comoros and a stalemate against Mali, the 1976 champions are seeking to secure top spot in the group.

Zambia enters the final matchday in a precarious position, sitting third in the table with two points.

The 2012 champions have remained unbeaten so far, thanks to a dramatic late equalizer from Patson Daka in their opening match.

Moses Sichone’s side knows that a win would end a 13-year winless drought at the AFCON level and potentially see them finish as group winners, while a defeat could result in a premature exit.

The Atlas Lions may be bolstered by the return of star defender Achraf Hakimi, who could feature from the bench after missing the opening two matches.

However, the squad remains hampered by muscle injuries to veterans Romain Saiss and Hamza Igamane.

In attack, Youssef En-Nesyri is expected to be handed a starting role as Regragui looks for more creativity and “bite” from open play to satisfy a demanding home crowd.

Zambia boasts a healthy squad with no new injury concerns, allowing Sichone to field his strongest possible eleven.

Patson Daka remains the focal point of the Copper Bullets’ offense, having scored the nation’s only goal of the tournament thus far.

Despite being underdogs, the Zambian camp remains optimistic that they can exploit Morocco’s current lack of fluency to secure the result needed to reach the knockout stages for the first time since 2012.