History-makers Morocco are looking to pull off another giant upset against world champions France in the World Cup semi-finals this Thursday morning.
France know victory against surprise package Morocco will leave them just one win away from becoming the first team in 60 years to successfully defend the trophy.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina await them in Monday morning’s final.
The task of reaching the final was made more difficult for France in the hours leading up to the match when it was announced that Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot would not start after being unwell in recent days.
A flu-like illness is reportedly spreading through the French camp.
France confirmed Bayern Munich star Upamecano missed training due to illness and his return remains a mystery.
Upamecano was one of the few players to keep his place in the side with all the tactical changes coach Didier Deschamps made in recent games. Rabiot has played every game in this tournament.
It sees Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate come into the team, while Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana comes into midfield for Rabiot.
France are heavy favorites to win at the Al Bayt Stadium but face a Morocco side that have conceded just one goal in a remarkable run of giants that has seen them become the first team in Africa to has reached the quarter-finals of a World Cup.
Morocco have already upset 2010 champions Spain and thrashed Portugal en route to the semi-finals, a record that left France captain Hugo Lloris warning his team-mates against complacency.
“When a team is able to beat Belgium, Spain and Portugal, and finish first in their group, it’s because they have a lot of quality on the field and, without a doubt, also outside, in cohesion and team spirit,” said Lloris.
“They will be formidable opponents and, on top of that, there will be a hostile atmosphere in the stadium.”
Deschamps’ side are closing in on a third World Cup triumph in seven tournaments, but will be aware that no team has retained the World Cup since Pele’s Brazil did the feat in 1962.
Thursday’s match has added spice given that France was Morocco’s colonial power and more than a million Moroccans live in the country.
Their not-so-secret weapon on Wednesday will be the incredible support of fans in the stadium and across the Arab world.
“There is popular fervor behind them,” said Deschamps.
“It will be very noisy and my players have been warned about that. They know what to expect.” Thousands of Moroccan fans have rushed to Qatar since the quarter-finals and the country’s national carrier, Royal Air Maroc, said it had 30 extra flights from Casablanca to take fans to Doha.
However, Qatari authorities canceled some of these special flights on Wednesday, affecting around 2,100 passengers.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui, who has billed his giants squad as “the Rocky Balboa of the World Cup”, is convinced his side are ready to pull off another upset.
“If we are happy to reach the semi-finals, and some see that as enough, I don’t agree,” said Regragui.
Morocco will look to destroy the possibility of what many neutrals would see as a dream climax to the tournament, pitting Kylian Mbappe of the Bleus against his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Messi in a France-Argentina final on Sunday.
Messi, playing in his fifth World Cup, has been a man on a mission during the final in Qatar, desperate to cap his career by leading Argentina to their first world crown since Diego Maradona inspired the South Americans to the title in Mexico in 1986.
On Tuesday, Messi produced flashes of genius at crucial moments to help Argentina to an emphatic 3-0 victory over Croatia in the semi-finals in what was arguably the team’s best finals performance to date.