Morocco will be without star forward Ismael Saibari for their quarter-final clash against France on Thursday.
Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi confirmed Saibari will not be available after being pulled from Morocco’s 3-0 win over Canada in the Round of 16 after just 22 minutes due to a hamstring injury.
Saibari could still be available later in the tournament if Morocco is able to pull off the upset on Thursday.
“Everyone’s available, except Saibari, with the match coming too early for him,” Ouahbi told reporters, “although he’s not out for the rest of the tournament, I hope.
“Everyone’s available, although we of course will only select the players who are at 100%.”
Saibari has been a breakout star at the tournament, posting goals in each of Morocco’s three group round games and scoring the decisive penalty in shootout win over the Netherlands in the Round of 32. He secured a €50 million move to Bayern Munich earlier this month, becoming the second most expensive Moroccan footballer of all time after Achraf Hakimi.
Soufiane Rahimi replaced Saibari against Canada and scored in the second half. He has featured in each of Morocco’s games as a substitute, posting two goals on six shots.
“When you want to go very far in a competition, you need everybody, and the players who cannot be in the starting 11 know that they have the opportunity to finish the match,” Ouahbi said of relying on his team’s depth. “We have starters, and then when others are subbed in, they can make a difference on the pitch for us.
“The is a positive for the group, and it’s something that gives us a lot of confidence.”
Thursday’s match is a rematch of a 2022 World Cup semifinal between the two teams which France took 2-0.
