World Cup Preview: France VS Morocco - prediction, team news, lineups

[(France) Strength]:
1. Marcus Thuram traveled with the French national team to Philadelphia for the match against Paraguay but did not play due to muscle discomfort. However, he confirmed in a post-match interview that he is expected to return for the match against Morocco.
2. Mbappe scored a penalty in the last match, helping France defeat Paraguay 1-0 and advance to the quarter-finals. According to statistics, Mbappe has scored a total of 55 goals for club and country this season, the most by a French player this century. He has played 103 matches for France, tying the number of national team appearances made by current France coach Deschamps during his playing career, ranking joint 9th in team history. In these 103 matches, Mbappe has scored 63 goals and provided 42 assists, and his personal total World Cup goals have reached 19.
3. In the last match, Olise started and played the full 90 minutes, with 88 touches, 60 passes, and 1 key pass. According to FIFA's official match report, Olise ran 11,621.5 meters, the highest on the team, with a top speed of 30.5 km/h.
4. Statistics show that when Upamecano plays, France have kept clean sheets in 23 of their last 31 matches. In the 34 official matches Upamecano has started, France have lost only 2 (26 wins, 6 draws).
5. In the last World Cup round of 16 match, France defeated Paraguay 1-0 to advance to the quarter-finals. Since 1934, France have never lost a World Cup round of 16 match. In 1934, France lost to Austria in the round of 16. In this World Cup, France advanced to the quarter-finals with a perfect record, winning all three group stage matches, scoring 10 goals and conceding 2 in three matches. They then beat Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32. France have won all five matches in this World Cup, marking only the second time in their history that they have won the first five matches of a major tournament, the first being at Euro 1984.
6. According to statistics, since 1998, France have reached the quarter-finals of major tournaments 11 times. In the previous 10 times they reached the quarter-finals, France won 3 titles and finished as runners-up twice. After reaching the quarter-finals, they have only lost to the eventual champions of that tournament, including Italy in the 1938 World Cup, Greece in Euro 2004, Spain in Euro 2012, and Germany in the 2014 World Cup.
7. According to media statistics, the last victory was the 10th knockout stage win for France coach Deschamps in the World Cup, making him the first coach to achieve 10 World Cup knockout stage wins.
8. France have advanced to the quarter-finals for four consecutive tournaments, and in the last two World Cups, France reached the final, winning in 2018 against Croatia and finishing as runners-up in 2022 against Argentina. In the 2014 World Cup, France also reached the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by eventual champions Germany.
9. France defeated Paraguay 1-0 in the World Cup knockout match. According to reports, an average of approximately 12.2 million French viewers watched the match on M6. According to the channel, this set a historical viewership record for a program broadcast after 11 PM.
 

[(France) Neutral]:
1. According to French media reports, the French assistant coach confirmed that they have appealed to FIFA to rescind Olise's yellow card. During stoppage time of France's 1-0 narrow victory over Paraguay, the Bayern Munich attacking midfielder received a yellow card from Uzbek referee Tantashev for a clear physical altercation with a Paraguayan player. Barcola and Kone also received yellow cards in the match against Paraguay. If they receive another yellow card in this match, they will miss France's potential semi-final.
2. Tchouameni trained on Monday afternoon, doing ball-less drills, and is striving to return for the match against Morocco on Thursday at Gillette Stadium. However, the Real Madrid player's chances of playing seem slim. He suffered a muscle injury during training before the match against Paraguay and is not expected to take risks for this quarter-final.
3. According to statistics, France have suffered 6 losses in the World Cup this century (excluding penalty shootouts), 3 of which were against African teams, accounting for 50%.
 

[(Morocco) Strength]:
1. Ounahi played 87 minutes in the last match, scoring 2 goals from 2 shots and completing 2 successful dribbles, becoming the team's hero and being named Man of the Match. He is also the third African player to score a brace in a World Cup knockout match.
2. Diaz provided two assists in the last match. To date, Diaz has participated in 12 major tournaments (Africa Cup of Nations + World Cup) for Morocco, playing a decisive role in 8 of them, contributing a total of 5 goals and 4 assists.
3. In the World Cup round of 16, Morocco defeated Canada 3-0 to advance to the quarter-finals. In World Cup history, Morocco achieved the largest margin of victory for a non-European and non-South American team in a knockout match.
4. According to statistics, since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Morocco have won 4 matches in the knockout stages, while the rest of Africa combined have also won only 4 matches (Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana, and Egypt each with 1 win).
5. Morocco are participating in the World Cup for the 7th time. Previously, they had only advanced from the group stage twice: reaching the round of 16 in 1986 and finishing 4th in 2022, their best ever result. Morocco have advanced to the World Cup quarter-finals for two consecutive tournaments, becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals twice.
 

[(Morocco) Neutral]:
1. According to statistics, Morocco will become the third non-European national team to face France in a World Cup quarter-final, following Brazil in 1986 and 2006, and Uruguay in 2018.
2. Due to his close relationship with Mbappe, Achraf Hakimi was teased on social media by Moroccan artist Mimo Lazrak. In response, Hakimi gave a sharp and blunt reply in the comments: 'On the pitch, he is not my friend.'
 

[(Morocco) Weakness]:
1. Saibari felt a thigh injury shortly after the start of the match against Canada and had to leave the field in the 21st minute. Issa Diop also left the match against Canada due to cramps near the end (87th minute). The former French youth international (2016-2018) is fine and is very much looking forward to the match against France, but whether the two can play against France is still uncertain.
2. This will be the second meeting between the two teams in World Cup history. In the 2022 World Cup, France defeated Morocco 2-0 in the semi-finals to advance to the final, giving Morocco a psychological disadvantage in terms of head-to-head encounters.
 

[Tips]:
France have swept into the quarter-finals with an undefeated record, consistently securing victories in the round of 16 throughout their history. Deschamps holds ten World Cup knockout stage wins, having reached the finals in the last two tournaments, showcasing deep tournament experience. The team boast a balanced offense and defense with ample attacking firepower.

Morocco advanced with a big win in the last round, creating the largest margin of victory for a non-European/American team in a knockout match, and have reached the quarter-finals for two consecutive tournaments.

However, when the two teams met in the 2022 World Cup, France won 2-0, giving Morocco a psychological disadvantage.

France hold a comprehensive advantage in knockout stage experience and squad stability. Although they have occasionally stumbled against African teams, their overall strength and knockout stage record are clearly superior, allowing them to suppress Morocco and secure a smooth victory in this match.
 

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