France, the 2018 champions and 2022 runners-up, and the strong favorites for the current edition of the North American World Cup, face Morocco on Thursday at Gillette Stadium near Boston in a rematch of the last semi-final.

France dominated their first four matches in this edition thanks to their star-studded attack, but they had to work hard for a difficult 1-0 win over Paraguay, courtesy of a penalty from their top scorer and the tournament's second top scorer so far, Kylian Mbappé.

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The Blues have not lost any of their last 12 official matches (11 wins, 1 draw) and have seven consecutive victories. Coach Didier Deschamps makes history by leading his 25th match in the finals, equaling the record, but a twentieth win is not guaranteed, as three of France's World Cup defeats this century (excluding penalties) have come against African teams (3 out of 6). Morocco, meanwhile, showed great efficiency in the round of 16, scoring three goals without conceding against Canada, one of the host nations, from just five shots on target.

The Atlas Lions are behind the only two unbeaten streaks by an African team across five matches in a single World Cup edition, and they will seek revenge after their defeat to France in their sixth meeting in the 2022 edition. - "We are targeting the semi-finals" - This achievement would be only the second time an African team has reached the semi-finals, after their feat four years ago. Moreover, their unbeaten run of ten matches since the Africa Cup of Nations final (7 wins, 3 draws) indicates the Moroccans' ability to defy expectations. France have not lost in the six previous encounters between the two sides (4 wins, 2 draws), and they won 2-0 in the only official meeting, which was in the Qatar semi-final.

With Mbappé shining with seven goals so far, Michael Olise has been notably influential, contributing to eight goals in his last six matches for the national team (3 goals, 5 assists). All five of his assists have come in this World Cup edition, putting him just three assists away from the tournament's all-time record!

On the other hand, Moroccan Azz-Eddine Ounahi excelled by scoring a brace against Canada, ending an 11-match goalless streak in the finals. Remarkably, all eight matches in which he has scored internationally have ended in Atlas Lions wins, with the last seven of those keeping clean sheets.

Doubts surround the fitness of both teams, as Frenchman Aurélien Tchouaméni and Moroccan Ismael Saibari are suffering from muscle problems, and the medical teams of both sides are racing against time to treat them to be available. Saibari, who recently moved to Bayern Munich from PSV Eindhoven, is the Atlas Lions' top scorer in this edition with three goals, while Real Madrid midfielder Tchouaméni is a key pillar in the Blues' midfield.

Sunderland winger Chamseddine Talbi said after Tuesday's training session, "We feel good after recovering from the tough match against Canada, and we are now focusing on facing France and achieving the goal of reaching the semi-finals." The substitute, who set up the equalizer against the Netherlands in the round of 32, added, "Of course, it's a match every child dreams of playing, but we must focus on ourselves, be at our best, and make our country very proud of us."

Meanwhile, PSV defender Anas Salah Eddine said, "The French team has a good team, and so do we, and we have shown that so far in this tournament. We are working seriously in preparation for them."