Morocco will face Netherlands on 31st May in Agadir. Both teams are having struggled in their continental qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, will use this friendly as an opportunity to improve their performance.
The dutch side signed Dick Advoocat as the new national team manager. Advoocat will take over in June, but he’s already made the first call-up for this friendly. Most of the expected players are called: Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Bas Dost, Daley Blind, Davy Klaasen and the goalkeeper Cillessen among others will be available to play. Defensive midfielder Nathan Ake (22, Chelsea) will make his debut with the national team.
As for the Moroccans, it’s all about consistency. If they want a place in the next world cup, they’ll have to win every game they have in order to do so. That’s why manager Herve Renard made a similar call-up to before, with the names of Karim El Ahmadi, Younès Belhanda and the promising youth player Youssef En Nesyri (19, striker at Málaga FC). Mimoun Mahi (23), an offensive midfielder at FC Groningen and a former dutch player in the youths teams, will make his debut for the national team.
This match is something of a puzzle, due to the previous bad performances of the dutch teams. Players like Robben or Sneijder can make a difference if they’re in good form, and in the end that’s what’s reflected in the btting odds, with an average of 6/4 for the dutch win over a 9/5 for a home win.