Preview: Can Raja spoil Bayern’s party?
In Morocco, Raja is undoubtedly going to feel at home. They are the second African club to reach the final in the history of the competition. They were not favored against Atletico Mineiro from Brazil in the semifinals but, nonetheless, overcame them in a very impressive display, 3-1. This was definitely not the first display of spirit from the African Champions.
In the first round, they met Auckland City; despite dominating possession, they only won the match in injury time, 2-1, in Agadir. In the same venue, Bayern entered at the semifinal stage and made light work of Marcello Lippi’s Guangzhou Evergrande, running out 3-1 winners with two brilliant strikes from Franck Ribery and Mario Götze either side of a Mario Mandzukic header. Bayern has the privilege of knowing that a second win will see them win the tournament.
Raja overcame much more than just one opponent to make the final of course. They defeated Monterrey, the winner of the CONCACAF Champions League, 2-1 in extra time. Beating Mineiro in the next round seemed unprecedented nonetheless but occurred. The Moroccan fans were simply delighted by the display and showed great passion as they cheered on their side. Of course, they enjoyed the presence of Ronaldinho in their country too.
All these performances of passion and enthusiasm came from a side whose league results were so poor that its manager was fired at the beginning of December. This incredible run has come under new manager Faouzi Benzarti rather than under his predecessor, Mohamed Fakhir. Attacker Mouhssine Iajour only had positive comments about his new coach as noted by BBC’s official website:
“He's definitely got the best out of us and given us fresh confidence after an unfortunate run of results.
His approach is more attack-minded than our previous coach. He always wants us to attack, no matter what the state of the game is."
His coach reflects the kind of confidence one can expect after such an unexpected run.
“We will need the best of us to win. We know the character of the German teams. We should not let them attack us all the time.”
Bayern’s squad costs 667.24 million dollars; they will be challenged by a traditional Raja side which cost a meager 9.7 million dollars. Despite this, Bayern’s chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is not prepared to rest on his laurels according to BBC:
"Everyone expected Atletico Mineiro to make the final. No-one, not even here in Morocco, thought Casablanca would make it. It's a surprise to everyone, us included.
There can be no complacency and arrogance just because they're not well-known in the footballing world.
But the Bayern team is too stable, has too much good character, and the coach is too ambitious this year. All of them want this trophy. It would mean we've won everything there is to win."
Captain Philipp Lahm made sure that Raja understood that Bayern will not be complacent. They will be prepared for the Final. This is what he had to say:
“Getting to the final was a must. It gives us the opportunity to get our hands on another trophy.”
Raja would do well to be warned; however, they would also do well to remember that Bayern’s enemy has turned out to be mostly their own complacency in the past year and a half. Morocco meanwhile is set to be dazzled for one last time in December.
Where to watch the match: Live Streams, Live Scores, Start Times, TV Channels
Watch Bayern München vs Raja Casablanca live on Saturday, December 20, 2013:
In the USA at 14:30 ET on Fox Sports 2, Fox Deportes, Fox Soccer 2Go
Internationally on FIFA.com
In Germany, viewers can tune into ARD Broadband to watch the match.
For the complete TV listings and live scores upon kick-off, visit the Bayern München-Raja Casablanca match page.
