World Cup: France vs Morocco prediction, schedule, Hakimi vs Mbappe rivalry
Hakimi meets Mbappe as France face Morocco in the opening World Cup quarterfinal, with Opta backing Les Bleus to win. The FIFA World Cup quarterfinals
Hakimi meets Mbappe as France face Morocco in the opening World Cup quarterfinal, with Opta backing Les Bleus to win. The FIFA World Cup quarterfinals begin with a game between France and Morocco, as the Atlas Lions look to avenge their 2022 semifinal defeat and book a place in the last four. France enter the contest as favourites, but Morocco have already proven they can challenge the world’s best on the biggest stage. From Opta’s prediction and the latest match details to the renewed rivalry between Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi, here’s what you need to know What’s the full match schedule for Friday? France vs Morocco on Thursday, July 9, at 4pm (20:00 GMT) – Boston Stadium, US What is the prediction? France and Morocco’s semifinal clash in Qatar in 2022 marked the first-ever competitive meeting between the two nations. On that occasion, goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani secured a 2-0 victory for France, ending the Atlas Lions’ remarkable World Cup journey. The sides have met five other times, all in friendly matches, with France maintaining an unbeaten record. Les Bleus have won three of those encounters, while the remaining two finished level. According to the Opta supercomputer, France are clear favourites to win. Across 25,000 pre-match simulations, Les Bleus came out on top in 61.7 percent of the outcomes. Morocco were given a 16.2 percent chance of causing an upset by defeating France inside 90 minutes, while 22.1 percent of the simulations ended in a draw, meaning extra time, and potentially a penalty shootout, would be needed to decide the winner.
What other topics are being discussed? France vs Morocco rematch hype The highly anticipated France versus Morocco World Cup quarterfinal rematch has fans buzzing with excitement for the on-pitch battle. Four years on, France are still the firm favourites to prevail, but Morocco are now also considered genuine World Cup contenders, as the Atlas Lions have firmly established themselves as a force in world football. “We’re no longer a surprise today, and that’s a great source of pride,” Morocco’s coach Mohamed Ouahbi said after his side beat Canada 3-0 in the last 16. “I think this is only the beginning, and I hope we’ll keep producing this kind of run for many years.” Ouahbi insists that revenge against France is not Morocco’s main motivation. “We want to go as far as possible and make our people proud,” he said. Friends clash Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi has made it clear that friendships will be put aside when the Atlas Lions face France in their highly anticipated World Cup quarterfinal, insisting that what happens on the pitch is separate from relationships off it. The comments came after Moroccan comedian Mimo Lazraq shared a light-hearted video on Instagram poking fun at Hakimi’s close friendship with France captain Kylian Mbappe. With the two international teammates preparing to meet in Boston, Lazraq jokingly questioned whether Mbappe could really be considered a true friend. In the video, the comedian teased that if Mbappe were a genuine friend, he would have given Hakimi the opportunity to get revenge for Morocco’s 2-0 defeat to France in Qatar.
The BriefWire