- Carlo Ancelotti — a five-time Champions League winner and the first non‑Brazilian to coach the Seleção at a World Cup — is under huge pressure to deliver Brazil a record sixth title (Alisson: "more pressure than being the president").
- Morocco made history as the first African nation to reach a World Cup semifinal and arrive as a serious, well‑organized opponent (captain Achraf Hakimi is a PSG teammate of Brazil’s Marquinhos).
- Neymar is still recovering from a torn calf and won’t play Saturday, while Brazil — unbeaten in 20 World Cup openers since 1934 — are desperate to end their title drought since 2002.
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