Morocco's Key Attacker Ismael Saibari to Miss France Match Due to Injury

New York. Morocco has suffered a major setback before the World Cup quarter-finals. Team's key attacker Ismael Saibari will miss the important match against France due to injury.

Saibari suffered a hamstring injury in the Round of 16 match against Canada last week. Team's head coach Mohammed Ouahbi informed at a press conference on Wednesday that he could not be fully fit in time.

He said, 'All players except Saibari are fully fit. This match came too soon for him. But I hope he will not be out for the rest of the tournament.'

Saibari, who recently joined Bayern Munich for five years for about fifty million euros from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven, is one of the best performing players in this World Cup.

He scored in all three group stage matches and scored the decisive goal in the penalty shootout against the Netherlands in the Round of 32, giving Morocco victory.

However, he was substituted in the Round of 16 match against Canada last Saturday, which Morocco won 3-0, after experiencing hamstring problems.

Coach Ouahbi said that if Morocco reaches the semi-finals, Saibari could make a comeback in that round.

Striker Soufiane Rahimi, who came on for Saibari against Canada, scored the team's third goal.

Morocco now aims to avenge the 2-0 defeat against France in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup. At that time, Morocco had become the first African and Arab nation to reach the last four of the World Cup.

Ouahbi, who was appointed coach in place of Walid Regragui in March, has rejected the notion that reaching the quarter-finals is enough achievement.

He said, 'We want to win tomorrow's match. We don't want to hear that it doesn't matter if we are out now. Our goal is to reach the semi-finals.'

Meanwhile, Real Madrid star and Moroccan player Brahim Diaz has said that his team is capable of competing with title favorites France.

Diaz, who is preparing to play against his club teammate Kylian Mbappe, said, 'France is the favorite for the title. But we have also proven that we can compete. I have full faith in my team.'