Atlas Lions: Hard blow for the National Team and Walid Regragui – Media7

Morocco national team coach Walid Regragui received bad news a few hours before the official list of players who will participate in the upcoming qualifying matches for the Africa Cup of Nations was announced. Moroccan defender Chadi Riad, who currently plays for Crystal Palace, suffered an injury during his team’s match against Norwich City, counting for the second round of the English League Cup.

A Significant Absence

Riad had to leave the field in the tenth minute after a collision that forced him to abandon the match. This injury could deprive the Moroccan national team of a key element in the crucial matches against Lesotho and Gabon, as part of the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled to be held in Morocco.

🚑 Chadi Riad goes down in the 8th minute and is immediately replaced by Chris Richards.#CPFC pic.twitter.com/lQICU90sAd

— The Palace Way (@ThePalaceWay) August 27, 2024

Faced with this situation, Walid Regragui may be forced to revise his list of players. Among the young talents likely to be called up are Osama Sahraoui, 23, who plays for Lille in France, Adam Aznou, 18, and player of Bayern Munich, as well as Khalil Fayad, a young rising star of Montpellier aged 20. Another name that could appear on the list is Youssef Lakhdim, 18, who plays for the Real Madrid reserve team.

The Selection Dilemma

Regragui faces a real headache in drawing up his final list, given the many options available and the recent performances of several players at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In addition, some experienced players, such as Sufyan Amrabat, who has just returned to his club Fiorentina, and Selim Amallah, a Villarreal midfielder, could also return to the squad.

To strengthen his team, Regragui has decided to call on Romain Saïss, central defender of the Qatari club Al-Sadd, for the next training camp in Rabat. Saïss, who received an official call-up from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, will join his teammates on September 6 for the matches against Gabon and Lesotho, which will take place at the Grand Stade d’Agadir.

Intense Preparation

According to information reported by the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed website, the selection of Romain Saïss has become imperative due to the problems encountered by the Moroccan defense, in particular the lack of preparation of Nayef Aguerd and the inexperience of young defenders Chadi Riad and Abdelkabir Abqar.

The final list of players will be announced next Thursday during a press conference at the Mohammed VI Center in Rabat. The players will then meet from the following Monday to begin their preparation before traveling to Agadir to face Gabon on September 7, followed by the match against Lesotho on September 9, as part of the CAN 2025 qualifiers.

As the Moroccan national team prepares for these important matches, the challenge for Walid Regragui will be to find the balance between experience and youth in order to maximize the chances of qualifying for the continental tournament.

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