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World Cup Semi-Finals: France v Morocco Preview & Tips

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Charles
Charles Perrin - Author

Betting expert

English betting expert and writer. Huge Tottenham supporter, and aside from being an avid soccer fan, has a keen interest in golf and tennis. Produces betting tips, reviews and sports articles.

The second of the World Cup semi-finals ties sees Morocco pit their wits against reigning champions on Wednesday, and it could well be a nerve-jangled affair.

With back-to-back wins secured over Spain and Portugal, Morocco — who are the first African team to reach the last four of a World Cup — will be hoping to add a third scalp to their illustrious list.

France, meanwhile, are aiming to reach two World Cup Finals in a row, and in doing so, become the first country since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend their title.

Ahead of this game, we have dissected a few key stats that are worth paying attention to:

  • Morocco are yet to concede a goal from an opposition player at the tournament — the only goal they let in was when Morocco defender Nayef Aguerd inadvertently flicked a cross past his own goalkeeper.
  • Morocco boss Walid Regragui also became the first Arab coach to steer a team to the knockout rounds of the World Cup.
  • France and Morocco will be meeting for the sixth time, and their most recent clash was a 2-2 draw in Paris in 2007.
  • Kylian Mbappe has now scored nine World Cup goals in 12 appearances on the biggest international stage.

At this stage of the tournament, interest won’t dim from a betting perspective, so all the top US online gambling brands will have readily available lines for punters to explore.

And to navigate your way through this match, we have handpicked a few tips for you to consider before the game kicks off.

France to nick late win

On the face of it or rather on paper, this shouldn’t be a clash that should faze France.

After all, they are the defending World Cup champions, and they have an abundance of riches in their squad – Mbappe, Griezmann, and Ousmane Dembele to name but a few.

But Morocco have failed to read the script to date, and they have been one of the surprise packages.

They will look to make it incredibly difficult for France to break through the lines, and against Portugal in the quarter-finals, Morocco proved to be excellent counter-attacking exponents.

France will therefore need to be patient, but they should creep over the line in regulation time. The Correct Score section is always quite entertaining, and France have been priced at +425 with BetMGM to win 1-0, which is certainly worth paying close attention to.

Kylian Mbappe to fire in the shots

With five World Cup goals to his name in Qatar, and currently leading the Golden Boot race, Mbappe has been instrumental to Les Bleus so far this tournament.

Whenever he gets on the ball, he usually only has one thought on his mind. And that’s to put on the burners, gallop past defenders and test the goalkeeper.

Mbappe can score all types of goals, including curlers from outside the penalty box, and he has everything in his locker.

He is a joy to watch, and he will give the Morocco backline something to think about.

Mbappe will be eager to add to his tally, and he will look to rain down the shots on the opposition goal. If you like a special, then BetRivers is dishing up a price of +220 for Mbappe to have Over 2.5 shots on target during the 90 minutes which shouldn’t be negated.

Olivier Giroud the head boy

Arguably one of the most underrated strikers of his generation, Olivier Giroud has reminded the world of his innate talents during the tournament.

He is never afraid to put the hard yards in, and he will be looking to extend his record as France’s all-time leading international scorer.

Currently trailing Mbappe by one goal in the Golden Boot race, Giroud could well level with him going into the Final.

Giroud will have his say against Morocco, and grab the only goal of the game. Judging by his aerial threat, Giroud could net with a header, and if you like the Goalscorer Markets, then Giroud is trading at +430 with BetRivers to make the difference.

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