The Moroccan coach confirms the readiness and confidence of the “Atlas Lions” for the “prestigious” confrontation against Brazil
Moroccan national football team coach Mohamed Wehbe confirmed that the Atlas Lions players are “ready and confident” before the “prestigious” confrontation against Brazil on Saturday in New Jersey, at the beginning of their campaign in the World Cup finals in North America.
He said in a press conference at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford (New Jersey), which will host the confrontation, “The atmosphere is positive, and the morale is excellent. We will play with the same quality and confidence that we used to, and we have great confidence in what we are doing and in what we know how to do, and we showed that in the Norway match (friendly 1-1 last Sunday).”
He added, “The players are calm and confident in their abilities and will give their best. Everyone knows the Brazilian team well, and I cannot add anything about its passion and desire to win this cup. For us, this is a prestigious confrontation, and we should not be afraid of Brazil, but rather we must respect it because it deserves respect.”
The coach, who won the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup with his country, added, “We have our values, our principles, and our playing style, which we will not change despite facing a great team in the person of Brazil. We are in good condition, and the goal is to improve after every match.”
He continued, “The Brazilian national team has high-quality players on the individual level, but it has a cohesive group to which the (Italian) coach Carlo Ancelotti has added a lot of organization,” praising the former Spanish coach of Real Madrid, who said he knew his secrets and had read “all his books,” before adding with a smile, “Maybe that will give me an advantage.”
Wehbe explained that the absence of Abdel Samad Al-Zalzouli and Nayef Akrad due to injury will not force him to change anything, whether in his style of play or his system. “All the players are ready. We had to find solutions, and we did that and we are confident in what we usually do. Unfortunately, we lost their efforts, but that will not affect us.”
For his part, captain Achraf Hakimi stressed the heritage of the Brazilian national team, “I think everyone knows Brazil, its quality of play, and its high-class stars like Vinicius and Rafinha, but we are ready, and I personally am ready, and I hope to play a great match.”
The second captain of Paris Saint-Germain, who was just crowned with the second consecutive title in the Champions League competition, added that “there is no candidate with the best luck in this match,” saying, “In a tournament like this, the odds are equal at a ratio of 50-50, and it will be a very tight match.”
He continued, “It will be decided by small details, and we must take advantage of all the opportunities that will be available to us and translate them into goals, and we will defend well.”
He added, “We also have our quality and we are called the ‘Brazilios’ of Africa. We know our quality and our strength, and with the trust and support of the Moroccans, we will perform well during this cup, starting tomorrow. We are focused on tomorrow’s match, and after that we will see the following matches to improve our performance.”
Regarding the possibility of facing his colleague, Saint-Germain’s first captain, defender Marquinhos, Hakimi confirmed that the matter sparked “a lot of laughter” between them in Paris, before explaining, “But we did not talk here in New Jersey because each of us is focused on his team. On the field, each of us wants to win, and for the best to win.”
Regarding the high temperatures in New Jersey, Hakimi said, “We are accustomed to it. We are Africans, and Morocco knows similar temperatures. The coach and technical staff have made an effort in this regard, and we are ready to play a match in the best possible conditions.” Hakimi concluded by talking about the injury of Al-Zalzouli and Akrad, stressing that it will be an additional motivation for them to achieve good results.
