Both teams have shown enough attacking quality to trouble each other's defences and could be set to serve up goals in this one.
Key Stats
- France have scored in all five of their World Cup matches.
- France have conceded in seven of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- Morocco have scored in all five of their World Cup matches.
- Morocco have conceded in four of their five World Cup matches.
France Often Superior
France have never lost in this fixture, picking up three wins and playing out two draws from five previous matches against Morocco.
The most recent meeting was a semi-final clash in the 2022 World Cup, with Les Bleus claiming a 2-0 victory.
Les Bleus Matching the Hype
France come into this clash off the back of a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the round of 32. Kylian Mbappe’s second-half penalty proved the difference for Les Bleus, who had it tough against the South American side’s physicality.
The two-time world champions were considered one of the favourites coming into this tournament and have lived up to that billing. Didier Deschamps' team have a 100% record in North America, having won all five of their matches so far.
Led by Kylian Mbappe with seven goals, France have looked sharp going forward, scoring in every single match so far. However, they conceded against Senegal and Norway, showing that a solid attack can get past their backline.
Morocco Mirroring 2022
Morocco’s progress to the quarter-finals was much smoother after picking up a 3-0 victory over co-hosts Canada. Azzedine Ounahi netted a brace while Soufiane Rahimi was also on target.
This year's World Cup campaign appears to be a repeat of Qatar 2022, when Morocco became the first African team to reach the semi-final. The Atlas Lions are looking solid once again and are unbeaten in their five matches so far.
Like the French, Morocco have shown good attacking quality in the tournament, scoring in all five matches. However, Mohamed Ouahbi’s team have also shown defence vulnerability, failing to keep a clean sheet in four of those fixtures.
Team News and Predicted Line-ups
France (4-3-2-1): Mike Maignan; Lucas Digne, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Kounde; Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot; Desire Doue, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe.
Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni missed the round of 16 clash through injury and remains doubtful for the quarter-final. Kone is expected to continue in his place, while Mbappe should lead the line once again.
Morocco (4-2-3-1): Yassine Bounou; Achraf Hakimi, Issa Diop, Chadi Riad, Noussair Mazraoui; Ayoub Bouaddi, Neil El Aynaoui; Brahim Diaz, Azzedine Ounahi, Bilal El Khannouss, Soufiane Rahimi.
Morocco are likely to be without top scorer Ismael Saibari, who went off injured in the win over Canada. Rahimi is set to lead the line after scoring off the bench last time out, while Diop should retain his place in defence.