Walid Regragui, the coach of Morocco, has set his eyes on defeating Croatia in the third-place playoff game on Saturday at the Khalifa International Stadium.
The Atlas Lions fell to the defending champions France 2-0, and Zlatko Dalic’s team was soundly defeated by Argentina in their semifinal matchup on Tuesday.
The two countries have already met at the tournament, playing out a goalless draw in their Group F opener.
“It will be difficult on a mental level. I will give opportunities to those who did not play and we will try to clinch third place,” Regragui, born in France to Moroccan parents, said.
“The important thing is that we presented a good look to our team and that football in Morocco is not far from the top level.”
Morocco made history becoming the first African side to reach the semifinals of a FIFA World Cup, following their 1-0 win over Portugal at the quarter finals.
Prior to their historic campaign, only Cameroon (in 1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) had ever progressed to the World Cup quarter-finals for Africa.