World Cup semis: History on the table as France and Morocco eye final glory

Following Argentina's clash with Croatia, attention turns towards Wednesday’s second semifinal, where France faces Morocco. But only one can take the next step toward glory.

As reigning champions from 2018, France walked into Qatar with a target on its back and a World Cup champions’ curse lingering. Yet Didier Deschamps' team has shaken off any doubts and is within reach of becoming the first team to attempt back-to-back titles in 60 years.

However, Morocco is also amidst a historic World Cup campaign, becoming the first nation from Africa to reach the semifinals. Walid Regragui's side has played some inspiring soccer eliminating multiple top-ranked teams, and now, with a country and a continent full of support, the final is in sight.

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Here is what you need to know ahead of France's clash with Morocco on Wednesday.

TEAM INFO

Morocco's impressive run to the semifinals has come at a cost, with a handful of key players unavailable through injury, leaving its defence slim.

Defenders Nayef Aguerd and Noussair Mazraoui missed the quarterfinal against Portugal through injury, while captain Romain Saiss (another defender) was forced off through injury. Additionally, forward Walid Cheddira is suspended after a red card against Portugal.

France has a full squad available for the clash.

Players can only be suspended for the final if they receive a red card.

POSSIBLE FRANCE XI: 4-2-3-1 FORMATION

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris. Defenders: Jules Kounde, Raphael Varane, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernandez. Midfielders: Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni. Forwards: Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe. Striker: Olivier Giroud.

POSSIBLE MOROCCO XI: 4-1-4-1 FORMATION

Goalkeeper: Yassine Bounou. Defenders: Yahia Attiyat Allah, Achraf Dari, Jawad El Yamiq, Achraf Hakimi. Defensive Midfielder: Sofyan Amrabat. Midfielders: Sofiane Boufal, Selim Amallah, Azzedine Ounahi, Hakim Ziyech. Striker: Youssef En-Nesyri.

FRANCE BREAKDOWN

Path: Beat Australia 4-1. Beat Denmark 2-1. Lost to Tunisia 1-0. Beat Poland 3-1. Beat England 2-1.

France's tournament got off to a rocky start in Qatar. It walked into the World Cup with the pressure of the champions’ curse, which saw four of the last five champions fail to qualify for the knockouts.

In its opening match, Australia led 1-0 after only nine minutes, only for Les Bleus to answer with four goals. After the early scare, France beat Denmark, then a heavily rotated side was stunned by Tunisia. The curse was broken, and the team moved on.

What has been key to the turnaround is multiple players have stepped up to fill their potential on paper. A new look doesn’t automatically lead to new problems.

Despite missing its entire World Cup-winning midfield from 2018, the emerging talent, such as 22-year-old starter Aurelien Tchouameni, proved it can hold its own and veteran names like Adrien Rabiot, Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann, have revitalized their roles.

Then throw one of the world's most in-form players Kylian Mbappe into the equation and, unsurprisingly, France is one game away from the final. The talent was always there, but the squad had to dig deep to truly click on the pitch, and they hit top form at the best time.

Its weakest link though is the defence -- which has let unnecessary goals leak in, keeping zero clean sheets over five games. Penalties haunt them, too, with Poland's Robert Lewandowski scoring from the spot and England being awarded two in the quarterfinal, one of which was converted by Harry Kane.

Team cohesion can only go so far in a squad if part of it is unbalanced, and Morocco will hope to exploit France’s gaping wounds at the back.

MOROCCO BREAKDOWN

Path: Drew 0-0 with Croatia. Beat Belgium 2-0. Beat Canada 2-1. Drew 0-0 with Spain, won penalty shootout 3-0. Beat Portugal 1-0.

If you had Morocco in the semifinals of your World Cup bracket, hats off to you! It's been a historic run for the Atlas Lions in Qatar many didn't see coming, but it is truly a team to fear.

Drawn alongside second-ranked Belgium and 12th-ranked Croatia, the African nation wasn't necessarily tipped to make it out of the groups. Yet after a dull opening 0-0 draw with Croatia, something roared within Morocco as they upset Belgium 2-0 and put Canada to the sword 2-1 to claim top spot.

After reaching the knockouts for the first time in 36 years, Regragui's inspired side conquered the Iberian Peninsula, dramatically eliminating Spain and Portugal. Now up next is the reigning World Cup champion, France. Will the theme of eliminating colonizers continue?

This unlikely run is not just pure luck, though. Slow-brewing development and a focus on discipline keeps the Atlas Lions alive. King Mohammed VI, in particular, invested significantly in soccer infrastructure, including a US$65-million training complex, and Morocco reaps the rewards.

In Qatar, its backbone is defence, with one of the best records in the tournament, only conceding once through an own goal. Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou is also in contention for the Golden Glove award thanks to his knockout-round heroics. Beyond the cohesive back line, every player fulfils their role to perfection when called upon, and Morocco displays inch-perfect game management as a result.

Stopping France’s most threatening forward Mbappe will be the biggest test for Regragui's men before potentially meeting soccer's best-ever player, Lionel Messi, in the final. All of Africa will be hoping Morocco can stay true to form.

X-FACTORS

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Plenty of eyes will be on Mbappe in this semifinal. The Paris Saint-Germain star has five goals to his name alongside two assists leading the race for the Golden Boot and is the first name opposing players fixate on. But while Mbappe will grab the headlines, the name who makes France tick at this World Cup is Antoine Griezmann.

After struggling with Atletico Madrid this season, the forward seems to shine brighter with the national team. Griezmann has made a record 72 consecutive appearances for France (dating back to 2017), played 90 minutes in four out of five matches, and registered three assists -- breaking Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry's national team record (28).

Morocco, meanwhile, has some of the world's best talent on the wings in both attack and defence, creating a whirlwind of a counter-attack for opposing sides to be wary of. Belgium, Canada and Portugal all fell victim to the Atlas Lions' biggest tactical threat.

Between Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi and winger Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea, the pace available is deadly. The lesser-known names such as Yahia Attiyat Allah (Wydad AC), Abdelhamid Sabiri (Sampdoria) and Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse) have also stepped up to the plate and capitalized on the pacey play in front of goal proving Morocco has some game-changing squad depth.

REFEREE

Cesar Ramos of Mexico will be the man in charge of the semifinal.

Ramos has managed three World Cup games already including Morocco’s 2-0 win over Belgium, Denmark’s 0-0 draw with Tunisia and Portugal’s 6-1 win over Switzerland in the Round of 16.

He has handed out seven yellow cards.

Canadian Drew Fischer has been appointed as the Video Assistant Referee.

HISTORY

The two sides have met on five occasions, with France winning three of the games, Morocco one and another ending in a draw.

All five meetings have been friendly games, with the last coming in November of 2007 - the lone 2-2 draw.