The second semi-final of the Qatar World Cup has been set up. France will face Morocco, after the 2018 champions beat England 2-1 and the African side beat Portugal 1-0. France are sure to be favourites, but Morocco will be hoping for another giant killing.
When is France vs Morocco
This is the second of the semi-finals. It’s on Wednesday 14 December, at Al Bayt Stadium. The first semi-final is the day before at the Lusail Stadium.
What time is kick-off?
Perfectly timed for the UK audience, the match starting at 7pm.
What TV channel is it on?
This is to yet to be thrashed out between ITV and BBC, but either way the contest will be on free-to-air television in the UK.
How have France fared so far?
Despite suffering several injuries, Les Bleus have looked strong in their bid to defend their title. Kylian Mbappe has terrorised defences, scoring five goals so far in the tournament, two ahead of his nearest competitors for the Golden Boot.
Their one slip was a 1-0 defeat to Tunisia in their final group game – but Didier Deschamps deployed a B-team for that match as Les Bleus had already qualified.
They were convincing in their 3-1 last-16 win over Poland and battled well to beat England 2-1 in their quarter-final.
What are France saying?
Head coach Didier Deschamps said after the match: “We are getting to the semifinals. We are closer to the final and this was an important achievement tonight and we can believe, but we have an important game on Wednesday.
“In the past the world champions didn’t always do well in the next World Cup and we’ve managed to do that.”
How have Morocco got on so far?
The African side finished top of Group F after beating Belgium and Canada and earning a goalless draw with Croatia. The last-16 clash saw Morocco celebrate a historic World Cup win over Spain. They beat Luis Enrique’s side 3-1 on penalties after neither side managed to score in normal and extra time. They then had a hard-fought 1-0 win over Portugal to become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals.
What is France and Morocco’s results history?
The two sides have played each other 11 times before, with Morocco winning on one occasion and France winning seven times. Three matches resulted in a draw. They have never faced each other at a major tournament and their last meeting was a 2-2 draw in an international friendly in 2007.
What is France’s World Cup record?
France are the defending champions having prevailed in Russia. They also won on their own turf in 1998. They were runners-up in Germany in 2006, losing on penalties to Italy after Zinedine Zidane’s infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi. Only two countries – Italy and Brazil – have recorded back-to-back World Cup triumphs.
What is Morocco’s World Cup record?
The African side have qualified for the World Cup on six occasions but had never made it past the Round of 16 until this tournament.
Latest team news
Moroccan captain Romain Saiss says he will “give everything” to be fit against France on Wednesday, having been stretchered off 57 minutes into the win over Portugal.
Morocco were already missing his central defensive partner, Nayef Aguerd, through an injury sustained in the last-16 penalty-shootout win against Spain. Saiss, who now plays for Turkey’s Besiktas, said “I will try, I don’t know” when asked if he will be fit.
“We will see tomorrow; we will do some exams to see what kind of injury I have,” he added. “But I will try my best to be on the pitch. I hope it will be OK.”
France have no suspended players for the semi-final and did not appear to pick up any injuries in their match against England, where they named the same starting XI for a second match in a row.
Latest odds
France to win: 1/2
Morocco to win: 13/2
Draw: 14/5
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