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Morocco hope to keep their Cinderella run going in Wednesday’s semifinal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but defending champion France stand in their way. Les Bleus edged England 2-1 in the quarterfinals to become the first defending champion to reach the semifinals since 1998. The last one was Brazil, and France routed the Samba Boys 3-0 to win the first of their two world titles. They also were runners-up in 2016, losing to Italy on penalties. Morocco are the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals after shocking Portugal 1-0 on Saturday. They also stunned 2010 World Cup champion Spain in the Round of 16.
Kickoff at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar is set for 2 p.m. ET. France are the -180 favorites (risk $180 to win $100) on the 90-minute money line in the latest France vs. Morocco odds from Caesars Sportsbook, with Morocco +575 underdogs. A draw is priced at +270 and the over/under for total goals is set at 2.5. Before locking in any Morocco vs. France picks, you need to see the World Cup predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven soccer model.
The SportsLine soccer simulation model evaluates a team’s offensive and defensive capabilities based on the game situation. Then, it assigns a grade using an expected payout-to-probability ratio. The model was accurate on 56% of all picks during the Champions League group stage and returned more than $1,000 to $100 bettors on its A+ picks. It also enters the World Cup semifinals on a 33-15-4 run on spread picks, returning more than $1,400 for $100 bettors. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now the model has dialed in on France vs. Morocco and just revealed its 2022 World Cup picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see all of the model’s soccer picks. Here are the World Cup 2022 odds and trends for Morocco vs. France:
France vs. Morocco spread: France -0.5 (-190)France vs. Morocco over/under: 2.5 goalsFrance vs. Morocco money line: France -180, Morocco +575, Draw +270FRA: The French are 3-0-3 all-time in World Cup semifinals, winning their past threeMAR: The Atlas Lions have a 30-4 goal advantage in qualifying and World Cup gamesFrance vs. Morocco picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back France
Les Bleus have been at least to this point in six of their 15 World Cup appearances, and they also made the final in 2006, losing to Italy on penalties. They managed to beat a loaded England team Saturday despite being largely outplayed, getting goals from 36-year-old Olivier Giroud and 22-year-old Aurelien Tchouameni. Giroud has seized his opportunity with Karim Benzema out injured and has taken over the No. 1 spot on France’s all-time scoring list with 53 goals. He and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who had six saves Saturday, are the veterans of a talented young team.
Kylian Mbappe, 23, is the best young striker in the world and has 33 goals in 63 international matches. He was kept quiet Saturday but leads the 2022 World Cup with five goals while Giroud has four. France have scored 11 goals and have 30 shots on target in their five matches, while the Atlas Lions have five goals and 13 attempts on net. Antoine Griezmann is third on the nation’s all-time list with 42 goals and has 26 assists and is a critical end-to-end player.
Why you should back Morocco
The Atlas Lions have been amazingly successful by simply clogging the back in front of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. They have yielded only an own goal over their past nine matches, and Bounou has seven clean sheets in his past eight starts. The 31-year-old has 29 clean sheets in 48 career starts for Morocco and has a 75.6 save percentage in six seasons in Spain’s La Liga, the past four with Sevilla. Regular starter Nayef Aguerd didn’t play Saturday and captain and defensive partner Roman Saiss went off on a stretcher in the second half.
That allowed Morocco to show that their success doesn’t depend entirely on personnel. Jawad El Yamiq was among the stalwarts against Portugal. Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui play on the outside, and they contribute heavily in defending and on the fast-break counters. Hakimi is the World Cup leader with 17 tackles, and Mazraoui is tied for fourth with 13. The Atlas Lions have allowed nine shots on net in five matches while putting 13 on target. Youssef En-Nesyri, who scored the winner Saturday, and Hakim Ziyech can both finish off the limited chances.
How to make France vs. Morocco picks
The model is going under 2.5 goals and it also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the model’s FIFA World Cup 2022 picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Morocco vs. France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup? And which side has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side to back, all from the model that’s up over $1,400 on its World Cup spread picks, and find out.