FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Looking to win their third FIFA World Cup title, France squares off against Morocco in the quarterfinals at Boston Stadium at 4 p.m. Thursday on Boston 25 News.
Key Points
- France have been the standout team in the tournament, with excellent performances across the pitch in all five of their games thus far. With all due respect to the other quarterfinalists, France simply looks a cut above the rest.
- Morocco, however, is not to be underestimated. Ranked sixth by FIFA and semifinalists four years ago, the Atlas Lions boast a well-rounded team that has stifled traditional powers Brazil and the Netherlands.
- Morocco is extremely well balanced. They’ve conceded four goals but scored 10, with six different players finding the back of the net.
- France’s front four remains the envy of the tournament (more on them below). France is tied with Argentina for most goals scored at this World Cup (14).
Players to Watch
- France’s front four is unmatched. Kylian Mbappe has scored seven times, second in this tournament only to Messi (8). He and Messi are defining the Golden Boot Race on two levels: first, they’re both vying to be this tournament’s leading scorer alongside England’s Harry Kane and Norway’s Erling Haaland; second, they’re neck and neck for the most World Cup goals all time. Joining Mbappe up top are Ousmane Dembele, who recorded the third-fastest hat-trick in World Cup history at Boston Stadium two weeks ago in a 4-1 win over Norway, and Michael Olise, a dynamic playmaker and winger.
- Morocco will be without leading scorer Ismael Saibari (hamstring), so Brahim Diaz will have to pick up the slack. Diaz has four assists in the tournament but has yet to score a goal himself. On the other end of the pitch, Achraf Hakimi, who plays in France’s Ligue 1 for Paris Saint-Germain, will line up at full-back and try to contain his opponent’s dynamic attack. Expect goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to get called to action often as well.
Stats that make you go “hmmm”
- The last team to beat France was another African team — Côte d’Ivoire — in June, 2-1.
- Morocco has only given up more than one goal in a game once in 17 games going back to last December.
Local connections:
- France has made Boston its home base for the World Cup, staying at the Four Seasons and training at Bentley University.
- The ZIP code 02151 in Revere has one of the highest standalone concentrations of Moroccan residents in the country, with over 1,400 individuals.
Quick Pitch Points
- Team Nicknames: France are Les Bleus; Morocco are the Atlas Lions
- Odds: To Advance / Qualify: France is favored at -400, compared to Morocco at +300 | Over/Under Goal Total: Set at 2.5 goals, with the Over at roughly -105 and the Under at -115.
- Best World Cup finish: France, champions in 1998 and 2018; Morocco were semifinalists in 2022
- Coaches: France, Didier Deschamps; Morocco
- Captains: France, Kylian Mbappe; Morocco, Achraf Hakimi
- FIFA Rank: France 2, Morocco 6
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