Despite kicking off their tournament with a 2-1 loss to Mali, the Super Eagles managed to win their two remaining matches to finish in second place in Group A with six points.
Stephen Keshi’s men thrashed Mozambique 4-2 before dispatching hosts South Africa 3-1 to qualify for the knockout stage.
Nigeria seem to be finding a different gear with every match they play and striker Gbolahan Salami is confident that they will be victorious against the North African side.
“I believe we have a good chance against Morocco,” he said. “We will not only play to win, but we hope to win well so that we can send a strong signal to our semifinal opponents.
“Coach Keshi has instilled a lot of confidence in us and I am very happy to be working under him. He rarely blames the players but points out our mistakes and tells us how we need to improve.”
Morocco finished on top of Group B with five points as they left it late before securing a 3-1 win over Uganda in their final group Match.
The Atlas Lions had started the tournament with a 0-0 draw against Zimbabwe before playing to a 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso.
Morocco coach Hassan Benabicha admits that his charges also started the tournament slowly but he believes they have shown signs of improvement along the way.
“We started the 2014 Africa Nations Championship poorly with two draws, but we have picked up our momentum at the right time and we are looking forward to the quarterfinal stage now,” he said.
“We know what to expect against Nigeria, but we are going to use the free days to prepare well in all aspects ahead of the game.”
Nigeria have scored eight goals in three matches so far in the tournament, while Morocco have found the back of the net on just four occasions.
However, the Atlas Lions have a better defensive record having conceded just two goals, compared to Nigeria’s four goals.
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