Morocco's head coach and Hakimi confident they can begin World Cup with a positive result against Brazil

"We are delighted to be here," the coach started, "We sense that the World Cup atmosphere is intensifying, so we are eager to field your queries."

"The positive atmosphere is unmistakable. Our confidence is high. We have faith in the players' physical fitness, the systems we have implemented, and the principles and values we have embedded. Ultimately, the matches we win will indicate our standing, but we already witnessed that in the game against Norway.

"I believe we are well placed to begin the tournament. The objective is to get better with each match. Therefore, I have no grievances."

He spoke about the departures of two key players, Abde Ezzalzouli and Nayek Aguerd, who sustained injuries.

He added: "All the players are in good condition, although it's true that we brought in replacements for two, but the rest are fine, so everyone is available and prepared to play.

"Our principles will not change significantly. We have demonstrated positive aspects and will continue to do so by remaining faithful to our principles."

He finished: "Simply because we are playing our opening World Cup match does not imply we will overhaul everything. We had also prepared for the possibility that certain players might be unavailable. Consequently, little changes for us.

"We are disappointed for Abde and also for Naef, as they are highly significant players who were on the verge of competing in a World Cup, but we had already devised alternatives, and the crucial aspect is being able to find those solutions. Therefore, we are confident and will persist with our usual approach."

Hakimi believes the Atlas Lions are prepared

Paris Saint-Germain's Achraf Hakimi, when questioned about the task of taking on Vinicius Jr. and Brazil, commented:

"I believe everyone is familiar with the Brazilian national team, and we are aware of Vinicius' abilities. I have faced him on several occasions, and he is an exceptional player. To stop Vinicius and the other Brazilian players, who are all world-class, you need to defend collectively with a clear strategy.

"I think we have trained and readied ourselves for this type of encounter. I consider the team to be prepared. On a personal level, I feel prepared and possess the confidence required to play a top-level match and put in an outstanding performance."

The full-back is assured that his team can compete on equal terms with the most successful squad in World Cup history.

"As I have mentioned previously, we are well aware of the opponent we will confront tomorrow," he stated.

"We are familiar with Brazil, its history, and the calibre of its players. But we also possess quality. In Africa, they refer to us as the 'Brazilians of Africa.' We are gifted players and we have our own strengths.

"I think we are poised to achieve something significant, with confidence and the backing of all Moroccans. I believe we can have a fantastic World Cup and get off to a good start as early as tomorrow."

In 2022, Morocco became the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals, but Hakimi is not yet contemplating reaching the semi-finals or beyond again.

"We are entirely focused on the opening match, on tomorrow. We want to begin as well as we can. After that, we will take it match by match, striving to go as far as possible and improve on our performance in the last World Cup. But at this moment, we are solely thinking about tomorrow, about producing the best possible performance and securing the victory that we desire."

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