CAN 2025: Walid Regragui’s three major projects before the competition in Morocco

What are Walid Regragui’s priority projects, position by position? The first priority project is the defense. The coach of the Moroccan team must first choose the players who will ensure the defense during the upcoming friendly matches and the CAN 2025. "Since the post-CAN, we have never played with the same defense two matches in a row. We have always had injured players, absences," he recalled in a press conference. He can bet on Nayef Aguerd. But the OM defender is a victim of a groin injury during the match against Brest. "It’s the bad news of the day," explained his coach Roberto de Zerbi in the post-match press conference. "He is suffering from a groin injury, he felt today that it has worsened. He has to undergo exams, but I think he needs to stop a little bit. Otherwise, it risks getting worse and he could miss the CAN, the crucial months of January-February, with decisive moments for the Champions League." Regragui should consider a replacement. He is thinking of Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal, a 19-year-old central defender from Stade Rennais, for the upcoming matches of the Atlas Lions scheduled for Friday against Mozambique and next Tuesday against Uganda.

Trained at the Mohammed VI Academy, he is a "pure product of Moroccan football". Currently, he is shining in Brittany. But the coach of the Moroccan team prefers to trust the experienced players for the CAN. "My certainty is that we will not win the CAN with young defenders. We need experience in defense," Regragui recalled. He is counting on Romain Saïss, 35, who formed an excellent duo with Aguerd during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. "We need players who know the environment and the weight of the national team," he stressed. Regularly used in the last six matches of the Atlas Lions, Adam Masina, a defender from Torino, is not in the plans of the Moroccan coach due to the lack of playing time in his club.

Jawad El-Yamiq, often used, could be offered a third-choice defender position. But he is going through the same situation as Masina. An injury keeps the 33-year-old player away from the Saudi club Al-Najma. In midfield, Regragui has to choose three players from five available: Neil El-Aynaoui, Sofyan Amrabat, Ismaël Saibari, Azzedine Ounahi and Selim Amallah. For the coach, Selim Amallah, brilliant in Qatar for his playing volume and technical qualities, can replace El-Aynaoui. With 10 goals and 2 assists in 17 games in all competitions, Ismaël Saibari is a strong candidate for a starting position. Bilal El-Khanouss (Stuttgart) is seen as the ideal replacement for Azzedine Ounahi (41 caps, 8 goals and 7 assists).

In the attacking sector, who will wear the number 9 jersey? Who between Youssef En-Nesyri (Fenerbahçe), Ayoub El-Kaabi (Olympiakos) and Hamza Igamane will be the starting striker at the CAN Morocco 2025? Regragui could lean towards the first two, who are regulars. He would have designated El-Kaabi as the starter. His performances speak in his favor: 9 goals in 15 club matches and 3 goals in 290 minutes with the national team. He also has the best ratio with the national team (29 goals in 59 caps), according to L’Équipe.

Regragui still has a little time to choose the best and most experienced players according to the positions.