France and Morocco will face each other on Thursday in the World Cup quarterfinals, four years after meeting in the semifinals of the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The winner will move into the last four after the match at Boston Stadium, also known as Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
France have been one of the strongest teams at this World Cup. Didier Deschamps’ side have scored 14 goals in five matches, with Kylian Mbappé scoring seven of them. Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola have also impressed going forward.
Les Bleus booked their place in the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over Paraguay in the last 16 after Mbappé scored a late penalty.
Midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni is a doubt because of a muscle injury. Michael Olise is available but another yellow card would rule him out of a possible semifinal.
France manager Didier Deschamps said taking chances will be key.
“We have to be efficient, offensively speaking. In all the areas, both teams have strong assets. We are efficient, but we could have done better on this front. Sometimes you have six chances and score two goals, and sometimes you have two chances and score twice. It is more important to be efficient.”
He also said Morocco have become a much stronger team.
“Morocco’s profile is not the one of Paraguay. We met them four years ago in the semi-finals. They played the AFCON final. They have top individuals. They are not here to play. They are here to win. We have to be ready and perform and deliver against this great team.”
Morocco have continued to make history under coach Mohamed Ouahbi. The Atlas Lions are the first African team to reach back-to-back World Cup quarterfinals.
They reached the last eight after beating Canada 3 to 0 in the round of 16. They also knocked out the Netherlands on penalties in the previous knockout round.
Midfielder Ismael Saibari is the team’s main injury concern after picking up a hamstring injury against Canada.
Ouahbi said his team will stick to the same plan, no matter who they play.
“Our approach must always remain the same if we want to produce our best performances. The way we work every day, whether it’s analysing matches or preparing for them, does not change, whether we are facing France in a World Cup quarterfinal or Burundi in a friendly.”
He also said his players are aiming for more than a place in the last eight.
“I don’t like it when people think what’s already been done is enough and the rest is just a bonus. There is no bonus. The only bonus is to win the Cup.”
The match kicks off at 9:00 pm in both France and Morocco.
Argentine referee Facundo Tello will be in charge, leading an all-Argentine officiating team.
Fans in France can watch the game on beIN SPORTS France nd M6, with streaming available on beIN SPORTS Connect and M6+.
In Morocco, the match will be shown live on beIN SPORTS MAX Arabic. It can also be streamed on beIN SPORTS Connect and TOD.
