Ismail Saibari’s position on participating in the confrontation with France

The top scorer for the Moroccan national football team in the North American World Cup, Ismail Sibari, will miss the match against France in the quarter-finals, Thursday (12:00 pm UAE time), in Boston, according to what coach Mohamed Wehbe confirmed.

Wehbe said, in a press conference before today’s match: “Everyone is 100% ready except for Saibari. “This match comes too early for him, but I hope he will not miss until the end of the tournament.”

Saibari, who recently joined German club Bayern Munich from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on a five-year contract for about 50 million euros ($57 million), was one of the most prominent players in the World Cup.

He scored in each of his country’s three group stage matches, and also took the decisive penalty kick in the victory over the Netherlands in the round of 32.

But the attacking midfielder went out early with a hamstring injury during the victory over Canada (3-0) in the eighth-final last Saturday, and he has not yet recovered.

Sofiane Rahimi, an outspoken striker, came on as a substitute for Sibari in that match, and scored the third goal for Morocco.

The “Atlas Lions” are seeking revenge for their loss to France (0-2) in the 2022 World Cup semi-finals.

This was the first time that any African or Arab team reached the semi-finals of the tournament, which constitutes an incentive for them this time to equal that achievement.

Wehbe refused to consider his country’s reaching the quarter-finals a sufficient success, and said: “We definitely want to win tomorrow’s match, so we will not listen to those who say that exiting now does not matter.”

The coach, who took over the job from his compatriot Walid Regragui last March, after the African Cup of Nations in which the “Atlas Lions” were crowned at the expense of Senegal by administrative decision following a chaotic final, added: “Tomorrow we will try to reach the semi-finals.” “I don’t like this feeling that we have done enough, and that anything extra is just a gain.”

He expressed his hope that the “Atlas Lions” would go into tomorrow’s confrontation “with knives between the teeth,” adding: “Four years ago, as a fan, I had a feeling of remorse, and so did the players. The key is to have no regrets. There are things we must do better. We have to go into the match with 2000%, without saying that what we have done so far is good, and to play this match with knives between the teeth if necessary.

He continued: “The outcome will be evaluated in the end, but I will never be satisfied with what I have achieved if I can achieve more.” We will do everything to win. We have to play as if our backs are against the wall.”

The coach, who last year won the U-20 World Cup title, added: “We are determined to fight until the end.”

He also believed that his players must “hurt” the French team when they have the ball, and said: “If we succeed in being patient with the ball, and finding gaps whether on the sides or in depth, we can harm any team.”

He added: “The match will be decided on the level of content and effectiveness. Morocco’s energy is very great, and it is what makes the difference in difficult moments. We are very calm about the way we prepared for this match. “I feel that the players are very focused and motivated.”

For his part, Real Madrid’s Spanish star Ibrahim Diaz confirmed that his country’s national team is capable of competing with the French national team, which is nominated for the title, while it prepares to face its colleague at the club level, Kylian Mbappe.

He said: “We are playing against one of the favourites, but we have proven that we are capable of competing, and that is why we are here. “I have complete confidence in the team.”