FRANCE VS MOROCCO
The second-place finishers of the Qatar World Cup are known today. France will face Morocco in the semi-final at 12.30 IST.
Today's winners will face Argentina in Sunday's final. Looking at the figures on paper, France has the best chances, but Morocco cannot be underestimated. They have completed five matches in the World Cup so far and conceded only one goal.
There is no doubt that today's match will be between France's forward line and Morocco's defensive line. This is the first time in the history of the World Cup that a team from Africa has qualified for the semi-finals. If they can conquer France today and enter the final, it will be a new history. The strength of the team is the presence of talented players like Hakim Sayak, N. Nesiri, Hakimi, Masroy, Boufal, and Bono.
On the other hand, France comes with a star-studded team. Kylian Mbappe, who is in brilliant form with 5 goals and 2 assists so far, has been at the helm of France's attacks. Today, the task of locking down Mbappe will fall to PSG teammate Achraf Hakimi. The French team qualified for the semi-finals after defeating England in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Morocco's march to the semi-finals saw Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal upset. In any case, it remains to be seen whether France, who are aiming for their second consecutive final, can overcome Morocco.
WIN PROBABILITY
France:-62%
Morocco:-14%
Extra Time:-24%
MATCH SCHEDULE
Date:-15/12/2022
Time:-12.30 AM (IST)
Venue:- Al Bayt Stadium
INSIGHTS
1) France has never lost against Morocco, with all five of their previous meetings coming in friendly games (W3 D2). The most recent encounter was a 2-2 draw at Saint-Denis in November 2007.
2) France has alternated between wins and losses in their six World Cup meetings with African nations, losing 1-0 to Tunisia last time out in this year's group stage. No team has ever lost to two different African teams in the same World Cup.
3) Morocco is seeking to become the first African nation to reach a World Cup final, and indeed, this will be the first World Cup semi-final contested by an African team.
4) France is playing in their seventh World Cup semi-final, having been eliminated in their first three appearances (1958, 1982, 1986) and winning each of their last three at this stage (1998, 2006, 2018).
5) No opponent has yet scored against Morocco at the 2022 World Cup, with their only goal coming against Canada via their own goal. They have kept four clean sheets so far in this tournament, the last two teams to record five records in one edition to lift the trophy (Spain 2010, Italy 2006).
