Brasil dan Maroko Bersiap Hadapi Laga Perdana Piala Dunia 2026

Tim nasional Brasil dan Maroko menyatakan kesiapan penuh menjelang laga pembuka Grup C Piala Dunia 2026 di Stadion MetLife, East Rutherford, New Jersey, pada Minggu (14/6/2026). Kedua tim fokus pada persiapan kolektif demi mengamankan poin perdana dalam turnamen akbar tersebut.

Pelatih timnas Maroko mengungkapkan kegembiraannya menjelang turnamen dan menegaskan kesiapan skuad asuhannya menghadapi kompetisi. Ia memastikan atmosfer di dalam tim sangat positif serta menaruh kepercayaan penuh pada kondisi fisik para pemain.

"We are very happy to be here," kata pelatih timnas Maroko dilansir dari flashscore.com.

Sang pelatih menambahkan bahwa atmosfer Piala Dunia sudah mulai terasa. Hal itu membuat timnya tidak sabar untuk memulai kompetisi.

"We feel that the World Cup is really heating up, so we can't wait to answer your questions," ujar pelatih timnas Maroko.

Kepercayaan diri kubu Maroko didasarkan pada prinsip dan nilai yang telah ditanamkan ke dalam tim. Hasil positif dalam pertandingan uji coba melawan Norwegia sebelumnya juga menjadi modal penting.

"It's clear that the atmosphere is positive. We are very confident. We trust in the physical condition of the players, in what we have put in place, and in the principles and values we have instilled. Ultimately, it will be the matches we win that will show us where we stand, but we already saw that against Norway," tutur pelatih timnas Maroko.

Ia juga menegaskan bahwa target tim adalah terus berkembang di setiap pertandingan. Evaluasi berkala akan terus dilakukan sepanjang turnamen berjalan.

"I think we are in a good position to start the tournament. And the goal is to improve match after match. So I have no complaints," kata pelatih timnas Maroko.

Mengenai absennya Abde Ezzalzouli dan Naef Aguerd karena cedera, tim pelatih sudah mengambil langkah antisipasi. Posisi kedua pemain penting tersebut telah digantikan oleh pemain lain yang siap tampil.

"All the players are fit, even though it's true that we replaced two of them, but everyone else is in good shape, so everyone can play, everyone is ready to play," ucap pelatih timnas Maroko.

Strategi dasar permainan tim dipastikan tidak akan mengalami perombakan besar. Maroko akan tetap setia pada prinsip bermain yang selama ini telah ditunjukkan.

"We won't change our principles much. We've shown good things and we'll keep showing them by staying true to our principles," ujar pelatih timnas Maroko.

Tim pelatih menyatakan situasi kehilangan pemain sudah diantisipasi sejak awal. Oleh karena itu, absennya beberapa pilar tidak mengubah persiapan yang telah disusun.

"Just because we're playing our first World Cup match, it doesn't mean we'll change everything. We had also considered the possibility that some players might not be available. So for us, not much changes," tutur pelatih timnas Maroko.

Rasa simpati tetap diberikan kepada para pemain yang cedera karena kehilangan kesempatan tampil di Piala Dunia. Namun, fokus utama tim saat ini adalah memaksimalkan solusi yang ada.

"We feel sorry for Abde and also for Naef, because they are very important players who were about to take part in a World Cup, but we had already found solutions, and the most important thing is to be able to find them. So we are confident and will continue to do what we usually do," kata pelatih timnas Maroko.

Bek kanan Maroko asal klub PSG, Achraf Hakimi, turut mengomentari tantangan menghadapi Vinicius Jr. Menurutnya, meredam kualitas lini serang Brasil membutuhkan kerja sama tim yang solid.

"I think everyone knows the Brazilian national team, we know Vinicius' qualities. I've already played against him many times and he's a great player. To defend against Vinicius and the other Brazilian players, who are all top-level, you have to defend as a team, with clear ideas," kata Achraf Hakimi, Pemain Maroko.

Hakimi menegaskan bahwa seluruh anggota tim telah mempersiapkan diri dengan matang. Secara personal, ia merasa berada dalam kondisi siap tempur.

"I believe that we have trained and prepared for this kind of match. I think the team is ready. Personally, I feel ready and I have the confidence needed to play a great match and deliver a great performance," ujar Achraf Hakimi.

Maroko yang dijuluki sebagai "Brasil dari Afrika" dinilai memiliki talenta dan kekuatan untuk mengimbangi sang lawan. Dukungan dari masyarakat Maroko menjadi motivasi tambahan bagi tim.

"As I have already said, we know well the opponent we will face tomorrow," kata Achraf Hakimi.

Meskipun menyadari sejarah besar sang lawan, Hakimi menegaskan Maroko juga memiliki kualitas tersendiri. Timnya optimis bisa menunjukkan performa penting di turnamen ini.

"We know Brazil, its history, the quality of its players. But we also have quality. In Africa, they call us the 'Brazilians of Africa.' We are talented players and we have our strengths," ucap Achraf Hakimi.

Target utama tim saat ini adalah memulai laga esok hari dengan hasil terbaik. Hakimi enggan terdistraksi oleh pencapaian semifinal mereka pada Piala Dunia 2022 lalu.

"I believe we are ready to do something important, with confidence and with the support of all Moroccans. I think we can have a great World Cup and start well already tomorrow," tutur Achraf Hakimi.

Fokus penuh diarahkan ke pertandingan pertama sebelum memikirkan fase selanjutnya. Langkah demi langkah menjadi strategi Maroko untuk melangkah jauh.

"We are completely focused on the first match, on tomorrow. We want to start in the best possible way. Then we will think match by match, trying to go as far as possible and do better than at the last World Cup. But right now we are only thinking about tomorrow, about delivering the best possible performance and winning the match, which is what we want," kata Achraf Hakimi.

Di kubu berseberangan, penyerang sayap Brasil, Vinicius Jr, menegaskan fokusnya berada pada kepentingan kolektif. Ia menyatakan persiapannya bersama timnas Brasil sudah dimulai sejak beberapa hari lalu.

"The World Cup isn't starting tomorrow; for us, it began several days ago because we’re so focused on our game, our development and our preparation to hit the ground running at the World Cup," kata Vinicius Jr, Pemain Brasil dalam konferensi pers hari Jumat dilansir dari channelnewsasia.com.

Pemain Real Madrid tersebut mengesampingkan ambisi pribadi demi membawa Brasil meraih gelar juara dunia keenam. Penghargaan individu bukan menjadi prioritas utamanya di Amerika Serikat.

"I don't care about individual titles, I’m not here to be the MVP; I’m here to help Brazil win a sixth World Cup title. I’m not here to be the best player in the tournament; I’m here to help Brazil return to the top," ujar Vinicius Jr.

Kegagalan pada babak perempat final di dua edisi Piala Dunia sebelumnya menjadi pelajaran berharga bagi skuad Brasil. Vinicius mengungkapkan bahwa pengalaman pahit di Qatar memberikan kedewasaan taktis bagi tim.

"The World Cup is different from any other tournament I've played, and the last one taught me that we have to be prepared right up until the final minute of the match," kata Vinicius Jr.

Perubahan pendekatan dalam pertandingan dinilai menjadi kunci agar hasil serupa tidak terulang. Evaluasi dari turnamen sebelumnya kini menjadi modal penting.

"We have to do things differently – lessons learnt," ucap Vinicius Jr.

Vinicius berada dalam kondisi fisik prima setelah melewati musim kompetisi tanpa kendala cedera serius. Ia menganggap turnamen kali ini sebagai momen paling spesial dalam karier profesionalnya.

"I’ve played more matches and have more experience than in the last World Cup, and I’m here to have an excellent tournament," tutur Vinicius Jr.

Kehadiran Carlo Ancelotti sebagai pelatih timnas Brasil memberikan kenyamanan tersendiri bagi Vinicius setelah kebersamaan mereka di Real Madrid. Kebebasan bermain yang diberikan sang pelatih menjadi faktor penting untuk performanya.

"Playing for Ancelotti is special because he gives me the freedom to do what I do best. I'm not talking about only scoring goals, but playing well. It doesn't matter how many goals I score; what matters is the team," kata Vinicius Jr.

Faktor konsentrasi penuh sepanjang 90 menit menjadi pesan utama yang selalu ditekankan oleh Ancelotti. Detail-detail kecil sering kali menjadi penentu hasil akhir di turnamen level Piala Dunia.

"Ancelotti always says we have to play the full 90 minutes with the utmost concentration because, in a World Cup, small details can make all the difference," ujar Vinicius Jr.