2 June in Rabat, at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah, Morocco will host Madagascar. The match starts at 18:00 BST.
The Atlas Lions are holding their final rehearsal before heading overseas, but an excessive reluctance from the leaders to risk injury could lead to a sticky, low-tempo game.
The home side come into the June window as the overwhelming favourites, but Mohamed Ouahbi clearly plans to protect his key players. Morocco traditionally rely on possession, but in friendlies they often play in an overly academic manner. If the opponents sit deep with the whole team near their own goal, breaking down that low block at half pace will be far from easy.
Mohamed Ouahbi, who replaced Walid Regragui at the helm, is actively experimenting with the line-up. Brahim Diaz and Sofyan Amrabat are most likely not going to play the full 90 minutes, instead featuring for only one half to get a feel for the rhythm of the game. Achraf Hakimi will not appear at all, as he has only just put in a full shift in the Champions League final. The hosts will play in Ouahbi’s favoured 4-2-3-1 system, but without proper tournament motivation, that possession control risks turning into sterile passing.
The visitors from Madagascar have arrived in Rabat with purely defensive intentions. In recent matches, they have built a compact low block with five defenders, reducing free space to a minimum. For them, this match against Africa’s best team is the main event of the year, so Romuald Rakotondrabe’s players will be absolutely committed.
Nobody will risk their fitness before the group stage, where Morocco are set to face Brazil, so the hosts should claim a routine win through superior class. Madagascar will dig in inside their own penalty area, while the favourites will accept a pragmatic scenario.
| Bookie | 1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
