Massive blow for Morocco as star forward to miss France World Cup quarter-final

Morocco have been dealt a massive blow ahead of their World Cup quarter-final clash against France, with star forward Saibari ruled out due to a hamstring injury. Bayern Munich’s new €50m signing was forced off just 22 minutes into the Atlas Lions' 3-0 round-of-16 victory over Canada. Although an MRI scan in Boston suggested the strain is not severe, the showdown with Les Bleus has ultimately come too soon for the talismanic forward.

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi confirmed the forward's absence during his pre-match press conference. The tactician insisted he will only select players who are operating at full fitness, while expressing hope that one of his star players can return for the remainder of the tournament, should his nation advance.

He said: "Everyone's available, except Saibari, with the match coming too early for him, although he's not out for the rest of the tournament, I hope. Everyone's available, although we of course will only select the players who are at 100%."

Saibari's absence is a bitter pill to swallow given he has been Morocco's standout performer throughout the campaign, netting three crucial goals before scoring the decisive penalty to eliminate the Netherlands in the round of 32. Soufiane Rahimi is now favoured to lead the line in his place, but Ouahbi remains entirely confident that his squad's depth can provide another major tournament upset.

The 49-year-old coach added: "When you want to go very far in a competition, you need everybody, and the players who cannot be in the starting 11 know that they have the opportunity to finish the match. We have starters, and then when others are subbed in, they can make a difference on the pitch for us. This is a positive for the group, and it's something that gives us a lot of confidence."

The clash at Boston Stadium offers Morocco both a proving ground and a shot at redemption after being knocked out by France in the 2022 World Cup semi-finals in Qatar. On a positive note, their backline has received a well-timed morale boost with the return of centre-back Chadi Riad, who missed the previous game due to an undisclosed injury. However, the Atlas Lions must produce a flawless display to contain Kylian Mbappe and his team-mates and halt the tournament favourites' six-match winning streak.