- Brazil start Group C without Neymar as Ancelotti takes charge
- Morocco lean on defensive nous with Hakimi and Mazraoui key
- Confirmed XIs and tactical battles set the tone at MetLife
Scene-Setter At MetLife: A New Brazil, A Nasty Test
Five-time world champions Brazil kick off their World Cup campaign against a Morocco side who know exactly how to make elite teams sweat. The noise outside New Jersey’s MetLife is thunderous, the stands a blur of canary yellow and deep red — and the storyline is just as lively.
The headline? Neymar misses out tonight after a setback, so Carlo Ancelotti’s first World Cup XI leans on Vinicius Junior’s stardust and graft from wide areas. If you fancy a flutter, our best football betting sites guide has all the options — but make no mistake, this one feels tight.
Confirmed Brazil XI: Alisson; Ibanez, Gabriel, Marquinhos, Douglas Santos; Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes; Lucas Paqueta; Vinicius Junior, Igor Thiago, Raphinha.
Confirmed Morocco XI: Yassine Bounou; Achraf Hakimi, Issa Diop, Chadi Riad, Noussair Mazraoui; Ayyoub Bouaddi, Neil El Aynaoui; Brahim Diaz, Bilal El Khannouss, Azzedine Ounahi; Ismael Saibari.
Team News, Tactics, And Where This Is Won
Ancelotti, Brazil’s first-ever foreign head coach, goes pragmatic: a 4-2-3-1 with Casemiro and Bruno Guimaraes shielding, Paqueta pulling strings and Igor Thiago as the reference point. The weak spot? Full-back depth. Expect Hakimi to target the space behind Douglas Santos, while Raphinha’s tracking will be vital down Brazil’s right.
Morocco, semi-finalists in 2022, haven’t forgotten their blueprint: compact lines, ruthless transitions. With Mazraoui tucking inside and Hakimi bombing on, they create overloads without losing shape. Brahim Diaz between the lines is a handful; El Khannouss and Ounahi can turn a press with one touch. If Brazil’s double pivot gets isolated, it’s trouble.
Without Neymar’s gravity, Brazil need Vinicius to be sharp off the left and Paqueta to find those third-man runs. Set pieces could be decisive — Marquinhos v Riad is a proper duel — and Alisson’s sweeping will have to be on point against Saibari’s channel darts.
Verdict: Brazil have the higher ceiling, Morocco the cleaner chemistry. Edge to Brazil by a goal if Vinicius catches fire, but don’t be shocked if the Atlas Lions pinch a draw. Either way, this is a tone-setter for a fascinating Group C in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
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Football fanatic, you will often find me on the terraces at lower league matches on a Saturday afternoon. I leave the Premier League matches to the prawn sandwich brigade; grassroots football for me all the way.
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