Saibari ruled out of Morocco's World Cup quarter-final clash with France
| Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images |
Morocco will have to manage without Ismael Saibari when they face France in the World Cup quarter-finals on Thursday night.
The 25-year-old, who recently joined FC Bayern, was forced off with a hamstring injury during Morocco's 3-0 round-of-16 victory over Canada and will miss the clash with France, head coach Mohamed Ouahbi confirmed at his pre-match press conference.
"Everyone is available except Saibari. The match comes too soon for him, although I hope he's not out for the rest of the tournament," Ouahbi said.
With Saibari out, Ouahbi is counting on the strength of his squad to carry Morocco further in the tournament.
"When you want to go very far in a competition, you need everybody. The players who are not in the starting XI know they have the opportunity to make an impact when they come on," he said.
"We have our starters, but the players coming off the bench can make a real difference for us. That's a huge strength for this group and something that gives us a lot of confidence."
France and Morocco meet at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, with kick-off scheduled for 22:00 CEST.
