Five-time world champions Brazil take on African champions Morocco in a tempting Group C match of the World Cup on Saturday night (Sunday in Europe).
Goalkeeper Alisson is calling for greater defensive stability when Brazil open their World Cup campaign against Morocco on Saturday night.
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Carlo Ancelotti’s side have not kept a clean sheet in five games before the championship, and the Liverpool giant knows that record needs to improve if the Selecao are to go far in the USA, Canada and Mexico this summer.
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“As a goalkeeper, I’m the first to leave the game unhappy when we concede goals,” says Alisson, who is now in goal for Brazil for the third World Cup in a row.
“I think a winning team must hate conceding goals. The opponent has to work extremely hard to score. We try to create that mentality here. Of the three goals we conceded in the friendlies against Panama and Egypt, two were completely unnecessary. And we’ve talked about it – we’ve talked about what we need to do differently.
“We also look at the positive side of this. It happened in the friendly matches so that it doesn’t happen in the World Cup, and it gives us the opportunity to correct what needs to be corrected.
Brazil far from their best – could be dependent on set pieces
The five-time world champion struggled through qualifying and eventually finished fifth in the Conmebol section – ten points behind arch-rivals Argentina.
That statistic confirms the theory that this is not a great Brazil team. Despite players of Vinicius Jr, Gabriel and Casemiro’s calibre, there is little to suggest that they will blow their opponents off the pitch.
It could come down to basic football principles: keeping a clean sheet and betting on set pieces to progress from a group that also includes Scotland and Haiti.
Alisson saw up close how the strength of set pieces can pay off. Arsenal won the Premier League last year, and he believes there is nothing wrong with that approach.
He adds:
“Arsenal had several games where they played well, dominated and created a lot of chances, but still won 1-0 on set-pieces – because that was their strength. Many can criticize it, but it is to Arsenal’s credit. And we are aware of this – that in this World Cup, stopping set pieces is going to be a very important factor.
“We have prepared for this. We have practiced it – both offensively and defensively. Luckily, we have one of Arsenal’s most important players on set pieces, namely Gabriel, as well as other players who can make a difference.
Tough start against Moroccans who reached the semi-finals in Qatar
It will be a tough start for Brazil against a Morocco team that reached the semi-finals in Qatar and was also crowned African champions in controversial circumstances in January.
The Atlas Lions are ranked number seven in the world – just one place behind Brazil.
Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was one of the heroes four years ago when Morocco became the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final. He is confident of another good tournament.
He says to FIFA.com:
“The quality of the players is still there. The right mentality will also be there – because this is a World Cup, and every single player dreams of playing in it.
“Let’s be honest: There are teams that are bigger favorites than us. However, we have been on this development path since 2022, so let’s try to continue on it. After that, it is impossible to say how far we can go.
Squad updates ahead of Brazil vs Morocco
Neymar is unlikely to play a role as he is still recovering from a calf injury. Wesley was ruled out of the championship earlier this week, which has led to Manchester United-ready midfielder Ederson being brought in.
Morocco have also had problems in the run-up. Nayef Aguerd and Abed Ezzalzouli are out of the World Cup due to injury, and Marwane Saadane and Amine Sbai have been brought in as replacements.
Predicted line-ups
Brazil: Alisson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Sandro; Casemiro, Guimaraes; Raphinha, Paqueta, Vinicius Jr; Cunha
Morocco: Bounou; Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazraoui; Amrabat, El Aynaoui, Ounahi; Diaz, Saibari, El Khannouss
Key figures before the match
- Brazil is the only team to have participated in every World Cup since the first edition in 1930 – this will be their 23rd participation. They have won the World Cup more times than any other team (five) and have the best win percentage in the history of the tournament (67% – 76 wins in 114 games).
- Brazil’s last World Cup triumph came in 2002. Since then, they have gone five straight championships without lifting the trophy – it is their longest period without a win, along with 1930–1954 and 1974–1990.
- Brazil have won their first group in every World Cup since 1982. They are also unbeaten in their last 20 World Cup opening matches, with 17 wins and three draws – their last defeat in an opening match came in 1934, against Spain (1-3).
- Brazil’s fifth-place finish in the Conmebol qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, averaging just 1.3 goals per game (24 goals in 18 games), is their weakest performance since the qualification format was introduced 30 years ago.
- Morocco’s fourth-place finish in 2022 is the highest position any African nation has achieved in World Cup history. They kept four clean sheets – more than in their previous 16 games in the championship (three).
- Morocco was the only team in the CAF qualifiers to win all games – eight wins out of a possible eight.
- Mohamed Ouahbi will be Morocco’s head coach at the 2026 World Cup, replacing Walid Regragui. He led the U20 national team at the 2025 U20 World Cup, where they beat Argentina 2–0 in the final in Santiago, Chile.
Prediction before Brazil – Morocco
Morocco has the ability to threaten Brazil. Don’t be surprised if the South Americans falter under the pressure.
However, Ancelotti wants his team well-trained, so a draw is perhaps the most likely outcome.
Tips: Brazil 1-1 Morocco
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