Injury fears haunt the national team's friendlies.
The Moroccan national football team will kick off its friendly matches today, Tuesday, starting at six in the evening, as part of its preparations for the World Cup of the same sport, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. They will face the Madagascar national team at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Although the match will provide an opportunity for national coach Mohamed Wahbi to assess the readiness of the players called up in the final list, and a victory will give a morale boost by earning additional points in the world ranking of national teams, the concern that troubles Wahbi and the Moroccan fans is the issue of injuries, which could disrupt the team's plans just 9 days before the start of the global event.
With the start of the friendly matches in preparation for the World Cup, news of setbacks has continued for many teams that received bad news about the absence of some players, which has complicated the calculations of their coaches before the whistle blows to start the World Cup.
For example, the Austrian national team received a painful blow with the absence of RB Leipzig player Christoph Baumgartner from the World Cup due to a muscle injury in his thigh sustained during warm-up before the friendly match against Tunisia.
Similarly, the Scottish national team, which is in the same group as Morocco, faced a setback with the injury of midfielder Billy Gilmour to his knee during the friendly match his team played against the Curaçao national team, confirming his absence from the World Cup.
On its part, the French national team has not escaped injuries, as it has been confirmed that Arsenal center-back William Saliba will miss the World Cup due to an injury that is likely to keep him out of the "Les Bleus." The newspaper "L'Équipe" reported that Saliba's injury worsened after the UEFA Champions League final, which Arsenal lost to Paris Saint-Germain.
In light of all these factors, Moroccan fans hope for a victory against the Madagascar national team and a performance that brings comfort before the World Cup begins; however, the most important thing for them remains to exit the preparatory matches without injuries that could disrupt the national coach's plans.
It is worth mentioning that the "Atlas Lions" will kick off their participation in the World Cup finals by facing the Brazilian national team on June 13.
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