All you need to know about France vs Morocco World Cup quarterfinal
Match details and Kickoff time
The quarterfinal will be played at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, with kickoff set for 4:00 p.m. local time, which is 8:00 p.m. GMT. For fans in Pakistan, that translates to 1:00 am PKT in the early hours of Friday, July 10.
Title favourites France face African champions Morocco as the tournament enters the last-eight stage. France reached this round after beating Paraguay 1-0, while Morocco advanced with a 3-0 win over Canada.
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Team news and injuries
Morocco will be missing one of their standout performers for the clash. Striker Ismael Saibari, who scored in all three group games and netted the winning penalty against the Netherlands, has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Morocco confirmed Saibari would sit out the quarterfinal against France.
France has its own fitness concerns heading into the match. Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni is doubtful with an adductor injury picked up before the round of 16. At the same time, three players, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola, and Manu Kone, are one yellow card away from a suspension.
Also Read: Argentina stun Egypt, reach FIFA World Cup quarter-finals
Predicted lineups
France is expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation: Maignan in goal; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, and Digne across the back; Kone and Rabiot in midfield; Dembele, Olise, and Barcola supporting Mbappe up front.
Morocco is set to respond with their own 4-2-3-1: Bounou in goal; Hakimi, Diop, Riad, and Mazraoui in defence; El Aynaoui and Bouaddi in midfield; Diaz, Ounahi, and El Khannouss behind Rahimi.
Prediction
Betting markets favour France heading into kickoff, with Morocco considered the draw priced as the least likely outcome. Historically, France has won four of the six meetings between the sides, with two matches ending in draws. Given their squad depth and Morocco's absence of Saibari, France head into the match as narrow favourites, though Morocco's counter-attacking threat through Diaz keeps the tie competitive.
