Morocco go into Brazil with two late withdrawals and a bigger problem hanging over them. Nayef Aguerd and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli are out before the opener, but Andy Brassell's point was that the real test is how this group handles the emotional fallout from AFCON as much as the absences themselves.

Morocco's recent tournament record shows why the expectations are high. They won 3 of their last 5 World Cup matches, including wins over Belgium, Canada and Portugal, and they became the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals in 2022. That level set the tone for the way this squad is judged now.

The AFCON baggage is part of the problem

Brassell was blunt about that side of it. "There's a huge question to how Morocco are going to react to AFCON, really, because, of course, they are the AFCON champions in inverted commas," he said. He added: "They've been given the title by the courts, but, they didn't win it in the actual final, did they?"

That awkward backdrop matters because the team are still trying to re-set before a difficult opener. Morocco were awarded AFCON 2025 silverware after a walkover victory when Senegal stormed off over a late penalty decision. Brassell's view was that they still need to get to the knockouts at least with the talent they have.

The injuries bite immediately

The practical damage is straightforward. Aguerd has not featured for Marseille since March 4 after groin surgery, while Ezzalzouli was injured in a collision with teammate Chadi Riad during Morocco's 1-1 draw with Norway. Morocco have already replaced Aguerd with Marwane Saadane and Ezzalzouli with Amine Sbai before the opener against Brazil.

Ezzalzouli's absence stands out because his club season has been productive. He finished with 28 goal contributions for Real Betis, made up of 15 goals and 13 assists, across 43 appearances. Losing that output this late strips some of the direct threat from Morocco's attack.

Brazil still arrive with the sort of tournament record that makes the task awkward enough on its own. They won 4 of their last 5 World Cup matches, with the only defeat coming against Cameroon.

Morocco have shown they can compete at this level, but the Brazil opener now asks a slightly different question. They have to manage the injuries, the noise around AFCON and the weight of expectations before the game even starts, and then do the football part against Brazil vs Morocco.

Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →