World Cup: Olise and Upamecano start for France as Morocco’s Saibari misses out

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9 July 2026

Bayern

will be well represented in the opening quarter-final encounter at the 2026

World Cup

between

France

and

Morocco

. New signing

Ismael Saibari

will count on Bilal El Khannouss and co as he's out of the game due to a hamstring injury. The 25-year-old was the star of Atlas Lions’ campaign until suffering an injury in the Round of 16 win over Canada.

Meanwhile, VfB Stuttgart's El Khannouss starts once again for

. The winger will be suspended for a potential semi-final if he sees a yellow card, however. Similarly,

Michael Olise

has to be careful after France's appeal to rescind his yellow card from Paraguay’s game was declined by FIFA's disciplinary committee.

FC Bayern's attacker leads the assists chart with five from as many games. At the other end,

Dayot Upamecano

currently sits top of several defensive stats in the tournament. In addition to the current Bundesliga stars, there are four players with past German football experience in the starting lineups of the two teams.

In the captain Achraf Hakimi and fellow fullback Noussair Mazraoui,

field former Borussia Dortmund and

defenders once again. Ex-Gladbach midfielder Manu Kone and Ousmane Dembele, who has won the DFB-Pokal in his one-year Dortmund spell nine years ago, are both in Didier Deschamps’ starting XI.

France XI:

Maignan; Digne, Saliba, Upamecano, Kounde; Kone, Rabiot; Doué, Olise, Dembele; Mbappe ©

Morocco XI:

Bono; Mazraoui, Salah-Eddine, Diop, Hakimi ©; El Aynaoui, Bouaddi; Talbi, Ounahi, Diaz; El Khannouss

World Cup: Olise and Upamecano start as France face Paraguay

OffsAIde

Olise and Upamecano help France edge fiery Paraguay to reach World Cup quarter-finals

France vs Morocco LIVE: Michael Olise appeal rejected by Fifa as Atlas Lions hit with injury blow

The Independent

Saibari ruled out of Morocco's World Cup quarter-final clash with France

Ismael Saibari a doubt for Morocco’s World Cup quarter-final against France

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