Morocco, Brazil’s first opponent in the World Cup, suffered a major blow just hours before the start of the planet’s main football tournament. The selection confirmed the cuts of defender Nayef Aguerd, from Olympique de Marseille, and striker Abde Ezzalzouli, from Betis. The two athletes were unable to recover from physical problems in time and are out of the world competition.
To fill the open places on the squad list, the Moroccan technical committee officially announced the arrivals of Marwane Saadane, who plays for Al Fateh, in Saudi Arabia, and Amine Sbai, who plays for Angers.
Substitutes already work with the cast in the United States
Although the substitutions have only just been made official, both players were already integrated into the Moroccan delegation in North American territory. The African country’s technical committee had adopted this strategy precisely to prevent scenarios of last-minute medical cuts. With this, the new players are physically available to coach Mohamed Ouahbi.
On the other hand, the Moroccan team received positive news behind the scenes. Right-back Noussair Mazraoui, who plays for Manchester United, has developed a shoulder injury and should not be cut. According to FIFA’s official regulations, any federation participating in the World Cup has the prerogative to make changes to the list of entries up to 24 hours before the kickoff of the first match, as long as the severity of the injury is duly proven by the medical board.
History of clashes favors the Brazilian team
This Saturday’s duel carries a historical taboo for Africans. Brazil holds a wide advantage in direct confrontations against the Moroccan team in the historical record of men’s professional football.
In total, the two countries have faced each other on three occasions in history, with two significant victories for Brazil and only one Moroccan triumph, which occurred in a recent friendly played in 2023. The most emblematic meeting took place precisely in an edition of the World Cup, in 1998, in France, when the Brazilian team beat the Moroccans by a score of 3-0 in the group stage.
Group opening game broadcast details
The match between Brazil and Morocco takes place this Saturday (13), at 7pm (Brasília time). Brazilian fans will be able to follow all the details of the confrontation live through streaming platforms. The game will be shown on CazéTV, with a signal available at no additional cost within the Disney+ catalogue.
