France
France were superb in the group stage and the Round of 32 but had to show a different side to themselves in the Round of 16 as they battled to a gritty 1-0 victory against Paraguay in a hostile match in Philadelphia. Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot mid-way through the second half to send Les Bleus into the last eight.
Didier Deschamps’ side had scored 13 goals in four matches against Senegal, Iraq, Norway and Sweden before edging past the aggressive and confrontational South Americans. Showing that other side to their game will surely stand them in good stead as we hit the business end of the tournament.
Injuries & Team News
With his winning goal against Paraguay, France skipper Mbappe moved onto seven for the tournament – level with Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland in a star-studded Golden Boot race – and he will wear the armband once again.
Now on 19 World Cup goals, the Real Madrid striker is also locked in a fascinating battle with Messi to top the all-time scoring charts.
His head coach is unlikely to make changes to a settled starting XI, as Manu Kone may continue to deputise for Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield.
Joining Marcus Thuram on the sidelines, the latter was absent from the Paraguay game and has subsequently missed several days training with a thigh injury.
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 1-0 vs Paraguay | W W W W W W |
Predicted Line-Up
France possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Kone, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Barcola; Mbappe
Morocco
Having become the first African team to reach the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup when they defeated both Spain and Portugal in the knockout stages in Qatar, Moroccan football has continued to be on the rise with an extremely impressive talent pool that were crowned African champions earlier this year.
Another symbol of their overall success at all levels is manager Mohamed Ouahbi, who led their U20 side to the FIFA U20 World Cup title last year. Ouahbi, who replaced Walid Regragui in March, has continued the good work that Regragui put in, while evolving the style to make the Moroccans even more effective in the final third.
That was on show in the Round of 16 against co-hosts Canada, with the Canadians having much the better of it for large parts in Houston but the North Africans were resolute in defence and ruthlessly efficient on the counter-attack for their 3-0 victory in Texas.
Injuries & Team News
Morocco’s main fitness doubt concerns Bayern Munich new boy Ismael Saibari, who impressed during the group stage but was withdrawn early in their last-16 clash.
His hamstring strain will mean that Rahimi fills in up front, while it remains to be seen whether centre-back Chadi Riad is fully fit after making way for Redouane Halhal last time out.
After setting up two goals against Canada, key creator Brahim Diaz holds the all-time African record with four World Cup assists; he has also posted 10 goal involvements for his country this year.
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 3-0 vs Canada | D D W W D W |
Predicted Line-Up
Morocco possible starting lineup:
Bounou; Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazraoui; El Aynaoui, Bouaddi; Diaz, Ounahi, El Khannouss; Rahimi
Betting Odds
ntina
| Team | Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| France Win | 1.57 | Grand Ivy |
| Draw | 3.80 | Dream Vegas |
| Morocco Win | 6.00 | 247Bet |
Prediction
France 2-1 Morocco
This should be an entertaining game with both sides playing attacking entertaining football during this world cup. It is of course a repeat of the 2022 semi final which France won 2-0 and I think they will be too good again for the Moroccans.