Didier Deschamps, the technical director of the French national team, made strong statements before facing Morocco in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
After qualifying from the round of 16 against Paraguay, the French national team is preparing to face Morocco in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, on Thursday, in Boston, United States.
Deschamps' statements before the France-Morocco match
Deschamps said during the pre-match press conference: "There are no guarantees at all, we had an extra day to recover, and in the meantime, we witnessed a severe heat wave and heavy rains for two days".
He added: "Temperatures will rise again, but not to the level of the last match. Recovery is necessary. We are doing our best with the medical staff to ensure that the players are in their best condition".
When asked about the Argentine referees and their impact on the World Cup, Didier Deschamps replied: "I will not answer this question, you can ask your questions, but I am not interested in them, I hope that the referee is at the level of Mr. Littkiser and his assistants".
He noted that: "France's opponent is the Moroccan national team, not the referee, on the contrary, he is there to apply the laws of the game with the utmost fairness".
He continued: "My goal is to do my best to ensure that things go well, I have a strong motivation to ensure that the French national team excels and competes for the World Cup title".
He added: "Aurelien Tchouameni is fine, but I left early this morning, he is the only one who needs to be checked, but his condition is improving, he may participate in training today, as for the rest, they are all ready".
He continued: As for Morocco, despite the change of coach, they maintain their level after reaching the final of the African Cup of Nations, they know my team's players well, and my team's players know them well too".
He stressed: "The Moroccan group is homogeneous, and perhaps they made some adjustments to their playing style, but this is normal after changing the coach, we know what to expect tomorrow".
He pointed out: "We have faced some strong opponents, we made some matches easier for ourselves, but we also faced tough opponents, in the quarter-finals, the level of competition also rises, as for the keys to the match, they are many".
He concluded: "We will need to be effective in attack and defense alike. We will see which team will possess the ball more, the matter is a matter of strength, the Moroccan coach is making his preparations, and so am I".
