Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has announced that star player Ismael Saibari will be unavailable for the upcoming World Cup quarter-final match against France. Speaking on Wednesday, Ouahbi noted that while the rest of the squad is fully fit, Saibari has not recovered in time for Thursday’s game at Gillette Stadium. The coach remains hopeful that the midfielder may return later in the tournament.
Saibari, who recently completed a 50 million euro transfer from PSV Eindhoven to Bayern Munich, has been a pivotal figure for Morocco. He found the net in all three group stage fixtures and secured the decisive penalty in the round of 32 victory over the Netherlands. However, a hamstring injury sustained during the 3-0 win against Canada last Saturday has sidelined him. Soufiane Rahimi, who replaced him against Canada and scored the team’s third goal, remains a candidate to fill the gap.
The Atlas Lions are focused on redemption following their 2-0 loss to France in the 2022 World Cup semi-finals. Ouahbi rejected the notion that reaching the quarter-finals is a sufficient achievement for the team. He emphasized that the squad is entirely focused on progressing further. Real Madrid midfielder Brahim Diaz echoed this ambition, asserting that Morocco has the capability to challenge France, despite the strength of their opponents. Diaz, who is set to face his club teammate Kylian Mbappe, expressed total belief in the team’s prospects.
