Will France beat the sensational team?
Regardless of the result in Wednesday night’s second World Cup semi-final at Al Bayt Stadium, the match will definitely go down in the history books. For the first time in the long history of the World Cup, an African team will be represented in the final round. In the clash between defending champions France and Morocco, betting on the Equipe Tricolore is obvious, but Mbappe & Co. are warned against the Lions from the Atlas.
That two teams from Group F have the potential to be represented in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup was clear to many fans. However, everyone had suspected the Red Lions of Belgium. Instead, head coach Walid Regragui’s Moroccan side have proved to be giant killers in recent weeks.
The semi-final at the Al Bayt Stadium is also a highly explosive duel historically, as Morocco only lost independence between 1912 and 1956 and was invaded by France (large parts) and Spain (smaller regions in the north). There will also be a tense atmosphere at the public viewing in Paris & Co, after all, more than half a million Moroccans live in France. The match kicks off on Wednesday evening at 8 p.m.
France – Statistics & current form
In the 92-year history of the World Cup, there have only been two successful title defences. Italy won the title in 1934 and 1938, while the Selecao lifted the trophy at the world’s most important tournament in 1958 and 1962. The French still need two wins to win the title. However, it is very likely that France will play in the grand final on the fourth Sunday of Advent. It is not for nothing that the best bookmakers are offering betting odds of just over 1.20 for the “To Qualify” of Didier Deschamps’ team between France and Morocco.
For statistics fans, there are several indicators that underline this clear role as favourites. The 2022 World Cup semi-final will be France’s seventh clash in the preliminary round. After three defeats in the first three attempts, France prevailed in the penultimate match in both 1998, 2006 and 2018. Successful coach Didier Deschamps has won 13 of his 17 World Cup matches so far as France’s head coach, with one more win putting him level with Luiz Felipe Scolari. In addition, no European team has ever lost twice to Africans at a World Cup – France’s B team lost to Tunisia (0:1) in the group stage.
No nil for Hugo Lloris
The insignificant defeat against Tunisia was the only match in which no own goal was scored. However, there is one thing that all previous 2022 World Cup appearances have in common: France’s defence has yet to enjoy a clean sheet – conceding one goal in each of their five matches. In the quarter-finals, Hugo Lloris was beaten from the penalty spot by his club-mate Harry Kane, but the Spurs captain’s nerves got the better of him with a second penalty.
The match-winner was not Kylian Mbappe, who scored five goals, but Antoine Griezmann. He provided the assist for both goals, taking the Rojiblanco’s tally to eight in his last eight World Cup appearances. Winning goal scorer Olivier Giroud holds four World Cup goals, and with one more goal the 36-year-old would become the oldest player to score five World Cup goals at a finals.
Predicted France line-up:
Lloris – Theo Hernandez, Varane, Upamecano, Kounde – Tchouameni, Rabiot – Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe – Giroud
Last matches played by France:
WM Final Round
11/12/2022 – England 1 – 2 France
04/12/2022 – France 3 – 1 Poland
WM Group D
30/11/2022 – Tunisia 1 – 0 France
26/11/2022 – France 2 – 1 Denmark
23/11/2022 – France 4 – 1 Australia
Morocco – Statistics & current form
Attractive? No! Modern? Not at all! Ball possession? Rarely, very rarely. The Moroccans’ game, however, can best be described with two adjectives – efficient and successful. The change of coach a few weeks before the start of the World Cup could almost have been described as typically African. Often, just before a major event, unrest is brought into the team, but this time the change of coach paid off.
Ex-professional Walid Regragui brought Hakim Ziyech and Noussair Mazraoui back into the national team and thus ensured the greatest success in the history of African football. Belgium in the group stage, Spain in the last 16 and Portugal in the quarter-finals – the final list of the Lions of the Atlas is impressive.
No opponent has ever scored against Morocco
With enormous passion, a lot of willingness to run and tactical discipline, Morocco will be an extremely unpleasant opponent. In addition, the underdog also knows how to help itself with fouls in order to always stop the flow of the game of the clearly higher-ranked competition. In fact, the surprise semi-finalists have only conceded one goal in the tournament so far – an own goal in a 2-1 win over Canada.
Only twice in World Cup history has a team kept five nil in the tournament – Italy in 2006 and Spain in 2010 – a good omen as those two nations went on to become world champions. There is still a long way to go, but Morocco’s confidence is on cloud nine. The Moroccan defence is a real bulwark and hardly allows anything, only nine of the 45 shots on goal by the competition were even on the Moroccan goal. With such a strong defence, betting that neither team will score is a good option between France and Morocco.
Going forward, Morocco will not create many scoring opportunities, but their efficiency is enviable. Morocco have had five top chances in the tournament so far, three of which have been put into the opposition’s net. Youssef En-Nesyri, the golden goal scorer against Portugal, could become the fourth African player to score three times at a World Cup finals. A feat previously only achieved by Roger Mila (four goals, 1990), Papa Bouba Diop (three goals, 2002) and Asamoah Gyan (three goals, 2010).
Predicted line-up of Morocco:
Bono – Mazraoui, Saiss, El Yamiq, Hakimi – Amallah, Amrabat, Ounahi – Boufal, En-Nesyri, Ziyech
Last matches played by Morocco:
WM Final Round
10/12/2022 – Morocco 1 – 0 Portugal
06/12/2022 – Morocco (3)0 – 0(0) Spain
WM Group F
01/12/2022 – Canada 1 – 2 Morocco
27/11/2022 – Belgium 0 – 2 Morocco
23/11/2022 – Morocco 0 – 0 Croatia
France – Morocco Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
The 2022 World Cup semi-final in Qatar will be the first ever competitive match between the two sides, as there have only been five friendly encounters to date. These matches were played between 1988 and 2007. The French side won three of them and two others ended in a draw. As it has been 15 years since the last meeting, the direct comparison is not a basis for betting on France vs Morocco.
France – Morocco Tip
Three top European teams have already eliminated the lions from the Atlas, will this be the fourth strike and probably the biggest sensation in the history of the World Cup? In the semi-final between France and Morocco, the odds are clear, with just 1.55 offered for victory in regulation time.
The defending champions definitely have more individual quality for the France Morocco forecast. But Morocco will act as a cohesive unit and will be driven by frenetic fans in the stands. The match will by no means be a foregone conclusion, especially due to Morocco’s strong defence. The Lions of the Atlas will be very destructive and defensive, so scoring chances will be scarce. This makes for some interesting picks between France and Morocco.
“Both teams score: No” does not seem to be too big a risk, the bets “Half-time/Final score X/1” and “Under 1.5” are much riskier, but both bets offer high value. With a stake of three units, the bet on a maximum of one goal is recommended as the main tip for the 2022 World Cup semi-final
