The Saudi national team suffered a severe blow after it was confirmed that defender Jihad Zakri would be absent from the crucial match against Morocco in the third round of the group stage of the Arab Cup tournament held in Qatar.

The Green Team is preparing for a tough match to be held on Monday evening at Lusail Stadium, where the Saudi national team aims to secure all three points in order to clinch the top spot in Group B.

The Saudi national team announced in an official statement that Jihad Zakri will not be included in the coaching staff's plans after suffering a muscle injury that forced him to miss the training session held on Sunday.

The statement clarified that the young defender has completely refrained from group training sessions, while the medical team has been monitoring his condition. The player will continue his treatment program until full recovery.

Al-Akhdar concluded their preparations for the match with a training session at the Aspire fields, supervised by Hervé Renard. The session included various tactical drills and a half-field scrimmage in preparation for the encounter with Morocco.

The Saudi national team enters the match after securing qualification to the quarter-finals, following their 2-1 victory over Oman and 3-1 win against the Comoros. In their upcoming game, they aim to clinch the top spot in the group before entering the knockout stages.