France coach Didier Deschamps has been forced into two changes to his starting XI for the FIFA 2022 World Cup semifinal vs. Morocco. Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano have been ill and are not fit enough to start at Al Bayt Stadium.
France vs. Morocco starting lineups
France: Lloris (c); Kounde, Varane, Konate, Hernandez; Tchouameni, Fofana; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud.
Morocco: Bounou; El Yamiq, Saiss (c), Aguerd; Hakimi, Ounahi, Amrabat, Mazraoui; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal.
Illness forces Rabiot, Upamecano to miss out
Bayern Munich defender Upamecano and Juventus midfielder Rabiot are said to have been suffering from flu symptoms since Tuesday. Ibrahima Konate is expected to deputize for Upamecano with Youssouf Fofana set to come in and take Rabiot's place.
The Liverpool man started alongside Upamecano for the 4-1 win over Australia before Raphael Varane recovered to take his place. The AS Monaco star came in for the 1-0 loss to Tunisia which Konate also featured in and Fofana, in particular, struggled.
5 - France have never lost against Morocco, with all five of their previous meetings coming in friendlies (W3 D2). The most recent encounter was a 2-2 draw in Saint-Denis in November 2007. Duel.#FIFAWorldCup #FRAMAR #francemorocco pic.twitter.com/fdUfjtb1G3
— OptaPaolo 🏆 (@OptaPaolo) December 14, 2022
Deschamps has relied upon Rabiot to form part of his midfield base alongside Aurelien Tchouameni who partnered Fofana for Monaco before his Real Madrid move. Otherwise, Les Bleus are expected to be unchanged as the defending champions seek a second consecutive final appearance ahead of potential back-to-back titles.
