France and Morocco World Cup 2026 quarter-final lineups revealed
via SeneNews2 min read
Aurélien Tchouaméni, a midfielder, is not in France's starting lineup for their World Cup 2026 quarter-final match against Morocco in Foxborough, near Boston, due to a thigh injury. The lineup, released by FIFA an hour before kickoff, shows Didier Deschamps also opted to start Désiré Doué on the left wing of the French attack instead of Bradley Barcola. Barcola had started the previous two knockout matches against Sweden 3-0 and Paraguay 1-0. Deschamps has otherwise maintained the same players as in the round of 16 match against Paraguay 1-0, with Manu Koné taking Tchouaméni's place alongside Adrien Rabiot in the midfield's double-pivot. Tchouaméni, who had been recovering from an adductor injury sustained the day before the Paraguay match, will be on the substitutes' bench and might enter the game later. He participated in the final training session on Wednesday after missing collective training on Monday and Tuesday. France's defense features Mike Maignan in goal, with William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano as center-backs, and Jules Koundé and Lucas Digne as full-backs. The midfield includes Manu Koné and Adrien Rabiot, supporting Michael Olise in the center, Désiré Doué on the left, and Ousmane Dembélé on the right. Captain Kylian Mbappé leads the attack. Former teammate Antoine Griezmann, now with Orlando City in MLS, is present at Gillette Stadium to support France. For Morocco, coach Mohamed Ouahbi is without Ismael Saibari, who sustained a thigh injury in the round of 16
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