France’s reaching the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar was much anticipated. But no one ever thought that Morocco would emerge as their opponent in the semi. Moroccans are said to be a dark horse in this tournament. Will the African team, which has produced one surprise after another, be able to stun the football world once more? We will get the answer tonight. The French will enter the field as favorites as they are ahead in apparent numbers, strength, and experience. Let’s get to know more from this France vs Morocco semi-final preview. When and Where France vs Morocco Semi-final Match Will Be Held? France and Morocco will meet at Al Bayt Stadium on December 15 at 1 AM Bangladesh time. France vs Morocco: Head-to-Head Records So Far Hakim Ziyech’s team became the first African country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. This time the biggest obstacle in front of them is the current world champion France. Let’s take a look at the statistics of these two teams before the semi-final battle. The first question that will come to everyone’s mind is who is ahead in the fight between these two teams in the World Cup. The answer is that this is the first time these two teams are facing each other in the World Cup. Although the Moroccan national team started in 1955, these two teams have not met in the World Cup until now. And now we are seeing them in a time where they can make history if they win. Although they have not met in the World Cup, these two teams have met 11 times in international football, where France is quite ahead. In their eleven meetings, France won 7 matches, Moroccans won one, and three matches were drawn. However, Morocco won its first appearance in 1963. Meanwhile, France and Morocco have faced each other in various minor tournaments. France has won every time there. The last time these two teams faced each other was in 2007. However, it was a 2-2 draw. But this time the stage is different. And in this World Cup, Morocco’s strength is also very evident. Read More: Argentina erupts in joy after team reaches World Cup final Performance of France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup So Far France was one of the 13 teams that played in the inaugural World Cup in 1930. With this, France has appeared in the 16 World Cup and won the cup two times. Except for the loss to Tunisia in the group stage, France’s Qatar World Cup journey was very smooth. After beating Poland in the round of 16, they faced a strong team, England, in the quarter-final. However, that match was moderately easy, too; they won by a 2-1 goal. Both teams fought hard in the heavyweight match of the quarter-finals. However, the entire responsibility for England’s loss to France should be on the captain Harry Kane. In the 84th minute of the match, England trailed by 2-1 goals. And just at that moment, England got a penalty. Earlier, Kane equalized England by scoring from the spot kick. However, Kane missed the second penalty, and they had to leave the World Cup. But the French team is at an excellent pace. France’s attacking trio is in rhythm. Kylian Mbappe with 5 goals tops the list of highest goal scorers. Expert striker Olivier Giroud scored 4 goals, including the quarter-final winning goal against England. Forward Antoine Griezmann is playing great despite not seeing a goal so far. He assisted two goals in a 2-1 win against the English. France has no injury update, and no player is missing the game. So, they will start the match with the main squad. France’s players to watch Kylian Mbappé, Olivier Giroud, Aurélien Tchouaméni. Read More: Argentina beat Croatia 3-0 to reach World Cup final Morocco's Performance in the FIFA 2022 World Cup So Far Meanwhile, in addition to being undefeated in the World Cup, Morocco has conceded only one goal. That, too, was an own goal against Canada. As a result, there is no opportunity to question Morocco’s defense. They went to the last sixteen as the group’s best and sent off the 2010 World Cup champion Spain in a penalty shootout. After that, they beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s team Portugal by 1-0 at the scheduled time and booked their ticket to the semis. But Morocco may fall behind in the field from one side. And that is the experience of not playing in the semi-finals on such a world stage. Where France is playing in the semi-final for the seventh time in the World Cup. However, the ‘Giant Destroyer’ Moroccans have already proved that they have the ability to send off another strong team. Their excellent defensive performance has contributed greatly to Morocco’s unprecedented success. Morocco’s main strength is their defensive understanding, above all, the mental acuity to use their plans on the field. Rather than defense, however, Morocco will look to Sofyan Amrabat to keep France’s midfield inactive. Essentially Amravati will need to flare up one more to stop Griezmann. Along with that, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou’s great form will keep them ahead mentally. Romain Saiss’s injury could be a concern for Morocco. If he doesn’t return, there won’t be much chance to stop Giroud. Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui may be able to handle Mbappe and Dembele in the pace game in two wings. However, if Giroud can commit a few passes in the match to either of them, then danger will appear in Morocco’s defense. Morocco’s players to watch Hakim Ziyech, Achraf Hakimi, and Yassine Bounou. Read More: Modrić's dream of winning World Cup ends Squads of France & Morocco in the Semi-final of FIFA World Cup 2022 Probable Starting Squad of France Against Morocco Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud Probable Starting Squad of Morocco Against France Bounou; Hakimi, El Yamiq, Aguerd, Mazraoui; Ounahi, Amrabat, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal France vs Morocco Semi-final Match Result Prediction France is clearly ahead of Morocco in terms of experience and pace. So, according to experts, France will easily win this game. They may score at least 2 goals without conceding any goal. Final Words France vs Morocco semi-final of FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 will be an exciting match, with both teams will surely fight hard for the win. Both teams possess the skill and talent to make a thrilling match, and the winner could be decided by a moment of brilliance or a mistake. France is the favorite to win this match, but Morocco has the ability to surprise and put up a good fight.

No matter what football tradition, history, or FIFA rankings say, there is no such thing as a big or small team in the semifinals of the World Cup. And FIFA World Cup 2022 does not have that at all. Four teams have entered the semifinals as qualifying teams after passing difficult steps one after another. So, the first semifinal between Argentina and Croatia tonight will be a close match. Time and Venue of Argentina vs Croatia Semi-final Match Argentina and Croatia will meet in the first semifinal at Lusile Stadium on Tuesday, December 13, at 10 PM local time, and Wednesday, December 14, at 1 AM Bangladesh time. Argentina vs Croatia: Head-to-Head Record So Far This is not the first time that the two countries have faced each other on the world stage; these two teams have faced each other before. The two countries met for the first time in 1994 in an international friendly match. The match ended in a goalless draw. Four years later, they met for the second time in the 1998 World Cup, which was a first in the World Cup. In that match, Argentina left the field with a 1-0 victory. Then in 2006, they met for the third time in an international friendly match. Where the Croats left the field with a 3-2 victory. In 2014, the two teams met again in an international friendly match for the fourth time. Albiceleste left the field with a 2-1 goal difference. After that, in 2018, they met for the fifth time at the World Cup in Russia. Croatia defeated Argentina 3-0 in that match of the group stage. That memory is still fresh. So, they will surely want to repeat it. However, we will have to wait until the end of the match on December 13 to finally see who wins the crucial semifinal match. In total 5 matches, Croats won 2 matches, and one ended with no result. However, both countries are equal in World Cup statistics. Argentina and Croatia have won 1 match each in two appearances. Read More: FIFA World Cup 2022: Semi-Final Round Overview Argentina's Performance So Far in the FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022: An Overview Two-time world champions Argentina stepped into the leadership of Lionel Messi in Qatar from 36 matches unbeaten to break the 36-year title drought. But the Albiceleste suffered a big blow in that mission by losing a 2-1 goal against Saudi Arabia in their opening match. Then they won against Poland and Mexico by 2-0 goals in both games. Argentines reached the quarter with a 2-1 victory over Australia in the knock out stage. After that, the Albiceleste confirmed the semifinals once again in 2014 by defeating the Netherlands in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals. Now they are in the semifinals. Then they turned around and won four straight games, and now they are in the semifinals, where they got the previous season's runner-up Croatia as an opponent. Although Argentina is in a good rhythm, they will have to start the match without defenders Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna, as they received their second yellow card of the tournament in their last match. Montiel saw his very first yellow card of the World Cup against Saudi Arabia. So Scaloni was playing him consciously, but in the end he was not saved. The defender had to see a yellow card despite coming on as a substitute against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. According to FIFA rules, he will miss the next match. Same situation with Acuna. He got a yellow card against the Poland which was the last match of the group stage. He saw second yellow card of the tournament in the second half against the Dutch. Without getting two defenders in the semifinals, Scaloni must be in a tough situation, which will be a weak point for Argentina. On the other hand, another history will give confidence to the Argentina camp. Argentina did not lose any semifinals in the World Cup. Before the World Cup in Qatar, Argentina had played in the semifinals four times so far, in 1930, 1986, 1990, and 2014. Argentina is the favorite in the semifinals, regardless of the opponent team. Where they never had to see the face of defeat. Argentina's players to watch:  Lionel Messi, Alexis Mac Allister, Emiliano Martinez. Read More: FIFA World Cup 2022 Argentina vs Croatia LIVE Streaming: Where and How to watch online and TV Channel, Predicted XI An Overview of Croatia's Performance in the 2022 World Cup Meanwhile, Croatia has not lost a single match in Qatar World Cup. With one win and two draws, Croatia entered the last sixteen as group runners-up. After that, the Croats defeated the famous Blue Samurai Japan in the penalty shootout and reached the quarterfinals. And in the first quarterfinal, Croatia defeated the five-time world champion Brazil in a tiebreaker to confirm the semifinal. Where they got two-time world champions Argentina. When Croatia reached the final at the last World Cup, it was, according to many, unexpected. Now Croatia is on the way to the final again. Croatia got a historic win against the football powerhouse Brazil in the quarterfinals. Neither team scored in the scheduled 90 minutes. In extra time, Brazil's Neymar skillfully broke through the opponent's defense and scored a spectacular goal. But Croatia quickly leveled the score. Croatia beat Brazil 4-2 in a penalty shootout. Apparently, Croatian captain, Luca Modric has been playing an important as a captain in all their matches. However, Modric is playing a little lower, and his game is acting as Croatia's engine. Modric often played defensively in the quarterfinal against Brazil. Modric's long pass also contributed to the goal that equalized Croatia. Croatia does not have any injury or suspension report. So, all the regular players will appear in the semifinal. Croatia's players to watch:  Dominik Livakovic, Josko Gvardiol, Luka Modric. Read More: Messi, Modric carry Argentina, Croatia into World Cup semis Probable Starting Squad of Argentina vs Croatia Semi-final Match How Scaloni will line up the squad against the Croats can only be guessed because he sets everything at the very last moment. Di Maria is returning fully fit, and Rodrigo de Paul will be in the first eleven in midfield. Nicolás Tagliafico will fill Acuna's deficit at left back. Enzo and Mac Allister should start in the first eleven in this match as well. Argentina:  Martinez, Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico, Fernandez, De Paul, Mac Allister, Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez. Croatia:  Livakovic, Juranovic, Gvardiol, Lovren, Sosa, Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic, Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic. Argentina vs Croatia Semi-final Match Result Prediction Analyzing Croatia's past record and the performance in this World Cup, Messi's team may lose the game in the tiebreaker. There might not be any goals in 90 minutes. Earlier in the World Cup in Russia, Croatia won two tiebreakers in the knockout stages. Along with this, Croatia won the tiebreaker with Japan and Brazil in the 2022 Word Cup so far. Although the team could not keep the ball in the allotted 90 minutes, they contributed well to the tiebreaker. Who is the Referee in Argentina vs Croatia Semifinal match? There has been much controversy about the refereeing of the Argentina-Netherlands quarterfinal match. Argentina accused the Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz was not up to the mark. Italy's Daniele Orsato has been assigned the role of referee in the Argentina-Croatia match in the semifinals. 47 years old, Orsato has already managed Argentina's matches. He was in charge of the Argentina-Mexico match on the group stage. Earlier, the opening match of the tournament between Qatar and Ecuador was managed by this Italian referee. In addition to that, Orsato has experience officiating several important matches in the Italian league Serie A and the 2020 UEFA Champions League Final.  Read More: After Neymar, Croatia aim to end Messi’s World Cup dream Final Words Croatia has been performing great in this World Cup, and this match will be tough for both teams. However, all the attention will be on Messi, who has been ruling the football world for more than a decade. But, Messi may find difficulties entering Croatia's strong defense. According to the power and rhythm, Croatia is clearly ahead of Argentina. So, the FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 tournament's Argentina vs Croatia semi-final match will surely be entertaining for the fans.