A striker duel for the ages & Qatar revenge – what to expect in quarter-finalsByJoe BradshawBBC Sport senior journalistPublished1 hour agoThis expanded World Cup has already produced some epic games – and the good news is the line-up for the quarter-finals is seriously intriguing.Six European sides plus one each from Africa and South America will attempt to get to within a game of the final in four compelling matches starting on Thursday. All four ties have plenty of interest – and happily all but the last one kicks off at a sociable hour for European audiences.So what can we look forward to in the four quarter-finals? This is your guide to the last eight.2022 semi-final rematch – with a differenceFigure caption, France overcome Paraguay to reach quarter-finalFrance v Morocco, Atlanta Stadium, Thursday 21:00 BSTWhat to watch out for: While Morocco’s run to the last four in Qatar was a surprise, this side contending in the United States are much more than plucky underdogs. Against Canada last Saturday, the Africa Cup of Nations’ champions (pending an appeal by Senegal after a controversial final in January), fielded just four of the side that lost in the semi-final to France four years ago.
They play with dynamism and a swagger, and will be France’s sternest test so far.
For the 2022 runners-up, only three of the side that played in that semi-final started Saturday’s win over Paraguay. The emergence of centre-back William Saliba and creative maestro Michael Olise are among the refresh for Didier Deschamps’ side since then.
Kylian Mbappe is still the star turn and will continue his bid to pip Argentina’s Lionel Messi to both the Golden Boot and the title of all-time top scorer in World Cup tournaments.
Key stats: Half of France’s World Cup defeats this century have been inflicted by African teams (three out of six).
Morocco have not lost in their past 34 matches, but they have never beaten France, who have won seven in a row and 11 of their past 12 matches.
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