World Cup 2022: France v Morocco as seen by Beaumelle and Benabicha

Sport News Africa: Should France be considered the favourites for this semi-final?

Patrice Beaumelle: For me, yes. France are the reigning world champions, they were among the favourites before the tournament, and that is obviously even more the case at the semi-final stage! Les Bleus have had a very good tournament so far, apart from the defeat by Tunisia in the group stage (0-1) with a heavily rotated side. They are not always impressive and they make mistakes, but mentally they are very strong. They have top-level players, including Mbappé, and you can see they really want to go all the way.

Habib Benabicha: Of course. France are the favourites for this game, which is perfectly normal. They are one of the best teams in the world, they are the reigning world champions, they have some very great players and a great coach in Didier Deschamps. The pressure will be more on France, which is logical.

Is Morocco's presence at this stage a surprise to you?

P. B: Not at all. Morocco were certainly not expected to reach this level, but it is no accident that they have. Walid Regragui, the Morocco coach, did not have much time to prepare for the World Cup. He has built a pragmatic system, with good defensive organisation, an ability to compress the lines, and to break forward very quickly. Morocco also have real technical quality, and an effective striker in Youssef En-Nesyri. They are a side capable of playing good football, as they have shown in Qatar. And then there is that tremendous team spirit.

"If France score first, it could be harder for the Moroccans, who would be exposed to French counter-attacks"

H. B: We did not expect such a run. But Morocco deserve to be here, because they have shown themselves to be solid, efficient and united. In very little time, Walid Regragui has got his players to buy into his system. When you see Ziyech and Boufal putting in a lot of defensive work, it means the coach has pulled it off. Today, Morocco can become world champions, something that was unthinkable a few weeks ago.

Morocco have never trailed in the tournament. If that were to happen, what should we expect?

P. B: You can certainly ask the question. Morocco would then have to take risks and have possession of the ball, which has never happened since the start of the World Cup. The Lions have technical quality and are capable of playing good football. But clearly, if France score first, it could be harder for the Moroccans, who would be exposed to French counter-attacks. And when you know the pace of Dembélé and Mbappé…

H. B: From the kick-off, Morocco will no doubt try to do what they did against Spain and Portugal, leaving possession to Les Bleus. The hardest thing for the French will be finding a way through. They have the players to do it, and if Morocco go behind, they will have to change their game plan. They have the qualities to do so, thanks to the technical profile of several of their players. But the ideal scenario for the Moroccans would be to open the scoring, and if possible as late as possible.

Alexis BILLEBAULT