Wydad Casablanca head coach Mohamed Amine Benhachem has made his decision on who will start in goal for the highly anticipated 2025 FIFA Club World Cup match against Manchester City.
Following a brief technical meeting with his coaching staff and the club’s goalkeepers, Benhachem opted for Mehdi Benabid to start between the posts.
The 25-year-old shot-stopper, who joined Wydad during the last winter transfer window, was chosen ahead of Youssef Al-Mutia, a long-serving player who has been with the club for four seasons.
The recommendation came from Zouhair Laaroubi, Wydad’s former goalkeeper at the 2018 Club World Cup in the UAE, who now serves as the club’s goalkeeping coach under Benhachem.
Laaroubi was instrumental in endorsing Benabid for the number one spot.
Currently the third-choice goalkeeper for Morocco behind Yassine Bounou and Munir El Mohamady, Benabid was part of the national team squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.
Prior to joining Wydad, he gained valuable experience playing for FUS Rabat and the Royal Army.
Despite naming his preferred choice for the City clash, Benhachem emphasized the importance of all his goalkeepers and assured that he plans to rotate them in domestic and continental competitions next season.
The clash which will be staged at the Lincoln Financial Field will kick off at 16:00 GMT.
