Exclusive to Kooora: Soufiane Rahimi, a headache for Morocco!

A major shock

Morocco's Soufiane Rahimi, the Al Ain star, has become a headache for national team technical director Mohamed Ouahbi ahead of the two qualifiers against Niger in the third and fourth rounds of the race for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The forward picked up a muscle injury to the hamstring of his right thigh during Al Ain's President's Cup clash with Shabab Al Ahli. He left the pitch in tears in the 27th minute.

A major crisis haunts Morocco

A close source inside Al-Ain told "Kooora" that Rahimi's hamstring injury is no minor one. He could miss Morocco's camp this November, with the club wary of aggravating the problem.

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Rahimi will sit out the clash with Saudi side Al-Ittihad tomorrow, Monday, in the fourth round of the AFC Champions League Elite, the source confirmed. The player is working through an intensive treatment programme.

His return depends entirely on how he responds to that treatment. The club won't take any risks with him, the source explained, especially with the team facing difficult challenges across every competition.

Mohamed Wahbi in trouble

Mohamed Wahbi, the Morocco manager, will be the one most affected by this news. Ismael Saibari, the Bayern Munich star, also picked up an injury in yesterday's clash with Borussia Dortmund, a Saturday fixture in the eighth round of the German Bundesliga.

Confirmation that both Soufiane Rahimi and Saibari will miss out would leave Wahbi facing a major headache. He is likely to turn to Al-Ittihad forward Youssef En-Nesyri to replace them, according to a source within the Atlas Lions' technical staff.