NEW YORK, July 6 — Morocco is awaiting the results of a scan on leading striker Ismael Saibari after he suffered a muscle injury that could rule him out of Thursday’s World Cup quarterfinal against France.
Saibari, who recently completed a big-money move from PSV to Bayern Munich, was forced off in the 20th minute of Morocco’s 3-0 round-of-16 victory over Canada on Saturday after pulling up with the injury.
The 25-year-old left the field with assistance and appeared to be in significant discomfort. Saibari scored in each of Morocco’s three group matches against Brazil, Scotland and Haiti, and also converted the winning penalty in Morocco’s shootout victory over the Netherlands in the round of 32.
He will travel with the squad to Boston for an MRI scan to determine whether he has any chance of featuring against France in a rematch of the teams’ 2022 World Cup semifinal.
If Saibari is unable to recover in time, Soufiane Rahimi is expected to replace him in the starting lineup. Rahimi impressed after coming on against Canada, striking the crossbar before scoring later in the match.
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi is also monitoring the fitness of central defender Chadi Riad, who remains sidelined by the knee injury he sustained in the round-of-16 victory over the Netherlands. The defender missed the win over Canada and remains a doubt for the quarterfinal. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
