Brazil vs Morocco Match Preview

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Hooligan Soccer

·12 juin 2026

Brazil vs Morocco Match Preview

On Saturday, Carlo Ancelotti will begin Brazil’s hunt for World Cup glory, and boy, he’s in for an intense few weeks.

The Italian, who’s by far the most paid head coach at the World Cup this summer, will know how high the stakes are for Brazil. A serial winner, yes, but this is without doubt his toughest mission to date.

Vidéos OneFootball

Brazil Starting XI Questions

Team selection has been a talking point since the moment Brazil qualified – and no, we’re not here to talk about Neymar.

Globo have reported Brazil’s starting XI and Ancelotti’s rumored choices have certainly raised eyebrows.

Flamengo’s veteran full-backs, Alex Sandro (35) and Danilo (34), are expected to start. While Wesley Franca was ruled out of the squad after picking up an injury against Egypt, Zenit’s Douglas Santos and Al Ahli’s Ibanez have both been overlooked.

It makes little sense and Morocco will be licking their lips as the Atlas Lions will look to attack the flanks and make life difficult for the South Americans.

Brazil Formation Questions

It is also rumored that Ancelotti will remain rather stubborn and stick with his favored two-man midfield.

The Italian has blind faith in Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães protecting his back line, but there should be alarm bells ringing about the lack of pace between the Man United player and Flamengo’s aging full-backs.

Casemiro was completely at fault for Egypt’s equalizer last week. He played a blind pass into traffic, then switched off before strolling back and failing to pick up Mostafa Ziko. Ziko went on to score.

A positive, however, is the expected inclusion of Lucas Paquetá in a more creative role. Performing well against both Egypt and Panama, the former West Ham midfielder will be the link between the midfield and attack as Brazil look to unlock Morocco’s tough defense.

Another interesting choice is to leave Endrick on the bench once more. Instead, Matheus Cunha is preferred to lead the line. With Cunha scored just one international goal since 2022, it appears as though Ancelotti will be turning to both Raphinha and Vinícius Juníor to produce a potential winner at the MetLife Stadium.

Morocco Outlook

Away from Ancelotti’s questionable choices, he will be counting his blessings with the number of casualties Morocco have heading into round one.

Both Marseille’s Nayef Aguerd and Real Betis’ Adbe Ezzazouli have been ruled out of the World Cup. The former, in particular, is a huge loss for the AFCON champions, having produced 18 La Liga goal contributions last season.

Yet this certainly doesn’t hand Brazil the three points. Morocco have lost just one of their last 40 competitive matches. They showed, for large periods against Norway in a recent friendly, how they can press high, dictate the play and aren’t afraid to shoot on sight.

Brazil’s defence will have to be razor sharp and mindful of what Morocco can produce – hence why many supporters are concerned about Ancelotti’s potential choice to select two veterans either side of Marquinhos and Gabriel.

A Gem for the Neutral Fan

There’s no doubt that this could be the best opening match of the World Cup to watch – although Brazilians might beg to differ. A loss – or draw – would certainly see Ancelotti put under serious pressure in his post match press conference.

A blessing, perhaps, is that Haiti will follow in round two. Regardless of the formation or full-backs selected, Brazil are expected to – and will – roll Haiti over.

But it’s all about how Brazil starts at this World Cup and what tone they set from the first whistle. The fact Ancelotti still doesn’t know his best XI – and his deficiency to stick with a two-man midfield – could prove costly.

Morocco may have key players missing but they won’t be making any excuses. They will know Brazil’s weaknesses, and the fact Ancelotti may look to expose his defense with controversial call-ups may see fans reach for the pitchforks earlier than anticipated.