Morocco coach Eric Gerets had predicted a tournament of surprises at the African Cup of Nations even before Equatorial Guinea's dramatic victory over Libya and Zambia's shock win over Senegal on the opening night.
The unexpected results will serve as a warning to Morocco ahead of games against co-host Gabon and little-known debutant Niger in Group C.
First, Gerets' team starts against North African rival Tunisia on Monday when the African Cup switches to Gabon and Libreville's Stade de l'Amitie.
The match between familiar opponents takes on added importance with both hoping to be in good position ahead of the tricky encounters against less known teams later in the first round.
Before Morocco and Tunisia meet in a repeat of the 2004 final, Gabon and first-timer Niger will battle in the group opener to see who will emerge as top underdog and main challenger to the North Africans.
Gerets' words rang true after the successes of Equatorial Guinea and Zambia in Bata. The Belgian coach said Morocco and Tunisia were favorites to progress from Group C "only on paper,'' and would - like Libya and the highly rated Senegal - face tough competition.
"What happens on the pitch is sometimes another story because there is always surprises,'' Gerets said.
The fear of the unknown for both Morocco and Tunisia later in the tournament has made Monday's matchup critical, with both targeting a strong start.
The regional rivals haven't met at a Cup of Nations since the final eight years ago, when Tunisia triumphed, but know each other well and share similar philosophies of strong organization and defensive discipline.
Morocco has unfinished business against Tunisia after that final loss, but was already tipped to emerge as group winner under the clever tactics of Gerets and with the talents of Adel Taarabt and Marouane Chamakh, who both play in England's Premier League.
"We are not afraid. I think we need to concentrate on our group because we have a super team and so we need to show everyone,'' said Queens Park Rangers midfielder Taarabt. "When all is said and done you've got to beat all the other teams to be champion of Africa. So we need to concentrate on the group stage.''
Tunisia differs slightly in that Sami Trabelsi's squad has a bigger contingent of home-based players, although France-based striker Issam Jeema is its all-time leading scorer and fellow forward Amine Chermiti of FC Zurich could be key.
Tunisia - the last team to win the Cup of Nations before Egypt's three straight titles - struggled in qualifying and was recently outclassed by Ivory Coast in a warmup match.
But a game against longtime rival Morocco - even if it is in the heart of central Africa - could inspire Trabelsi's team to find form.
"The match against Morocco is a big game for us and we need the three points,'' Chermiti said. "It's important for us to win to get the confidence to continue. It's important on a North Africa level, our opponent is a neighbor against whom we have a long footballing history.''
Gabon's "Panthers'' hope to repeat Equatorial Guinea's winning start as co-host, but won't want any of the momentary chaos that accompanied the opening game in Bata, where thousands of fans forced their way into the stadium's outer complex.
Libreville's new Stade de l'Amitie has seen frenzied final preparations ahead of Gabon's moment, with local fans hoping the home team is also ready for Niger.
Although it's making its debut, Niger ousted both seven-time champion Egypt and South Africa in qualifying to get the chance to line up for its first African Cup of Nations game.
