There is much anticipation surrounding the lineup that Moroccan national team coach Mohamed Wahbi will rely on in the match against Brazil, scheduled for Saturday evening as part of the first round of Group C in the 2026 World Cup.
The Moroccan coach will have to make at least two changes to the starting lineup due to the significant absences in the ranks of the "Atlas Lions".
The absence of key defender Nayef Aguerd has been definitively confirmed, after he failed to recover from his injury and was excluded from the national team's squad participating in the World Cup.
The Atlas Lions also lost the services of winger Abdel Samad Zalzouli, who suffered a serious injury during the recent friendly match against Norway, which also led to his exclusion from the final squad.
Shadi Riad is expected to play a key role in the center of defense alongside Issa Diop, to compensate for the absence of Aguerd.
As for the left wing position, the role will most likely be assigned to either Soufiane Rahimi or Chemseddine Talbi, to fill the void left by Zalzouli.
In the remaining positions, Wahbi is expected to rely on the same players who played in the last Norway match, keeping Ismail Al-Sibari in the "false" striker position, with Ibrahim Diaz and Azzedine Ounahi behind him in playmaking.
The expected lineup for the Moroccan national team against Brazil:
Goalkeeper: Yassine Bounou
Defense line: Achraf Hakimi - Issa Diop - Chadi Riad - Noussair Mazraoui.
Midfield: Bouadi - El Aynaoui - Ezzedine Ounahi.
Attack line: Soufiane Rahimi (or Chemseddine Talbi) - Ibrahim Diaz - Ismail Sibari.
The match will be held at MetLife Stadium in New York, as part of the third group competitions, where the "Atlas Lions" will seek to achieve a strong start against the star-studded Brazilian national team.
The match is scheduled to start on Saturday evening at 23:00 Moroccan time (01:00 Sunday morning Mecca time).
