Moroccan team: surprises and absences for the upcoming matches

Absent due to injury during the double confrontation against the Central African Republic, Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid) and Noussair Mazraoui (Manchester United) should make their return to the national team. As for Hakim Ziyech, there are doubts about his call-up. The Galatasaray striker is going through a bad patch in his club and is no longer in Okan Buruk’s plans. Added to this is his pro-Palestinian position and opposition to normalization with Israel, as well as his criticism of the Moroccan government. The Atlas Lion has also recently removed his photos with the national team from his social networks, which has raised questions about his future in the selection.

Due to the lack of regularity in his club, Ghanem Saïss, the central defender of Al-Sadd, should not be part of Regragui’s list. The same goes for Achraf Dari, the central defender of the Egyptian club Al-Ahly who has been away from the pitch for a long time due to his recurring injuries. Amine Adli, the star of Bayer Leverkusen, will also not be part of the squad due to a fracture suffered during the match against Brest in the Champions League. He will not be able to return to the field for four months.

The presence of Sofiane Boufal on this list is also uncertain, due to the recent injury he suffered in the Belgian championship. It is also difficult to affirm that players like Selim Amallah (Valladolid) Zakaria Aboukhlal, (Toulouse FC) and Amine Harit (Olympique de Marseille) will be called up for the matches against Gabon and Lesotho. On the other hand, Regragui should maintain, barring surprise, the local players Munir El Mohammadi (RS Berkane), Salaheddine Chihab (Maghreb de Fès), Jamal Harkass (Wydad).

Morocco will face Gabon on Friday, November 15 in Franceville, as part of the fifth round of qualifications for the 2025 CAN Morocco. The Atlas Lions will fly to Libreville the day before, at the end of their training camp starting on November 11 at the Mohammed V Complex in Salé. Regragui’s men will then cross swords with Lesotho on November 18 at the Oujda municipal stadium, as part of the sixth and final round of qualifiers for the continental tournament final phase. Morocco is the leader of Group B with 12 points, ahead of Gabon (7 points), the Central African Republic (3 points) and Lesotho (1 point).