Source : www.skysports.com
The World Cup quarter-finals begin on Thursday as France face Morocco; Spain take on Belgium on Friday; Norway vs England on Saturday; Argentina vs Switzerland on Sunday; Opta Supercomputer has France as favourites to win tournament
From 48, we’re now down to just eight. The World Cup quarter-finals begin today – and we’re one step closer to knowing who will lift the trophy on July 19.
To whet your appetite for the latter rounds, here is your team-by-team guide to every nation – from favourites France to ever-improving England.
France vs Morocco
Thursday July 9, kick-off 9pm – Foxborough, USA
France
Route to the quarter-finals: France cruised through the group with three wins, making light work of a Group of Death scenario with Senegal and fellow quarter-finalists Morocco and Norway. Their 3-0 smashing of Sweden in the round of 32 elevated them to tournament favourites, but their last-16 win over Paraguay was less than convincing. Are cracks starting to show?
Best player so far: Kylian Mbappe is making a solid claim for best player in the world. He has put a tumultuous season with Real Madrid behind him by setting this World Cup alight with seven goals so far. That’s taken him to 19 goals in 19 World Cup games overall. He’s competing with Lionel Messi for the all-time record, and is probably the closest player to his individual quality at the tournament.
Gem to watch: Manu Kone has started three out of France’s last four games in the tournament, including the last-16 win over Paraguay. The 25-year-old was relatively unknown before the World Cup, but the Roma midfielder’s displays are catching the eye of Europe’s elite. He’s the modern midfielder – strong, calm in the opposition press and able to carry the ball into testing areas.
Weakness: They don’t have many. One area to look out for is suspensions. Olise and Barcola are one booking away from missing the semi-finals. Losing those two would seriously damage their creative ability and force a rethink of their forward plans.
Morocco
Route to the quarter-finals: Morocco became the first African side to reach the World Cup semi-finals in 2022 and have backed up that display with another promising campaign. They held Brazil to an exciting draw in the opener before winning the other two group games. A penalty shootout win over the Dutch in the round of 32 elevated their status, before a routine win over co-hosts Canada was their best all-around performance yet.
Best player so far: Achraf Hakimi is the captain and star player, having just sealed back-to-back Champions League trophies with PSG. He may be a right-back but his attacking play causes havoc for opposition defences. Wingers don’t know whether to track back and full-backs don’t know who to pick up.
Gem to watch: Ayyoub Bouaddi was born in France – and even played for Les Bleus U21s team as recently as this year. But now he could be the breakout star of the tournament – and perhaps one of France’s biggest ever regrets. The 18-year-old is a key all-round cog in midfield, showing a very cool head on young shoulders.
Strength: Morocco spread the goals and assists around, with six different goalscorers from their opening five games. If you look at their attacking quality, Ismael Saibari, Azzedine Ounahi, Diaz and Bilal El Khannouss have a lot of experience at the highest level, with dangerous options like Chemsdine Talbi and Soufiane Rahimi off the bench.
Weakness: Morocco have a bit of a reputation for being ‘nearly men’ who lack durability in big games. They threw away the Africa Cup of Nations final on the pitch – before winning the trophy off it – while injuries derailed their last World Cup campaign. Top scorer Saibari came off injured after 20 minutes in the last game and could miss this game.
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