![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1671014611_91_image_2022-12-13_115836002-696x392.png\" "\\"Morocco\\"\/")
<\/div>\nMorocco can be proud they are playing a seventh game at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, even though it is not Sunday\u2019s final, says head coach Walid Regragui.<\/p>\n
Their history-making run saw them become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals, but they were\u00a0beaten by France\u00a0on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, they face\u00a0Croatia\u00a0in the match to decide who finishes third.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would like things to have gone differently and played in the final,\u201d said Regragui.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is another game to play, we would like to be on the podium.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand it\u2019s important to finish third rather than fourth, but my takeaway is we didn\u2019t reach the final. We wanted to play the final on Sunda.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I told my players this is our seventh World Cup game. If you told any Morocco fan we would be playing our seventh game on 17 December, they would be proud.<\/p>\n
\u201cMorocco played six World Cup games in 20-odd years and now we\u2019ve played six games in a month \u2013 this is priceless. It\u2019s as if we played two World Cups or even more, that\u2019s beautiful from an experience point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morocco\u00a0and 2018 finalists Croatia will both end the tournament as they began it \u2013 by facing each other.<\/p>\n
The two nations played out a goalless draw in Group F on 23 November at the Al Bayt Stadium, but Regragui is predicting a better encounter on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew Croatia were going to be one of the best teams in the competition,\u201d he added. \u201cAfter the first game, we knew the performance was very good.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people said Croatia were approaching the end of their cycle and would have the rug swept out from under their feet. Croatia got stick for not beating \u2018underdogs\u2019 Morocco, but both teams reached the semi-finals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a lot of hesitation for the first game. Both teams will want to win it and it will be a great game.\u201d<\/p>\n
The game could be Croatia captain Luka Modric\u2019s last with the national team and Regragui praised the 37-year-old Real Madrid midfielder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s Modric\u2019s last game, he\u2019s a competitive warrior and will want to finish his World Cup in style. When he wants to finish on a great note, we should be wary,\u201d said Regragui.<\/p>\n
\u201cHats off to Modric. What he\u2019s doing at 37 is monumental. He was a Ballon d\u2019Or winner and I completely understand why.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic believes Modric will continue playing for the national side long enough to feature at the 2024 European Championships.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope that he will be there,\u201d Dalic said. \u201cI am looking forward to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is quite certain that he will there be but he will personally decide how he feels. I personally feel that he will be, but ultimately it is his decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dalic says his side are looking to end the tournament on a high in what he sees as a \u201chuge match\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us, this is a major final, a major match and a fight for a medal,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of respect for the Moroccan team, who achieved a lot at this tournament and are a true surprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are of the same mindset. It is a huge match for them as well, they are coming with a strong line-up and we are not thinking about what the rivals are saying because we are well aware they are fighting for the same place and, for both, it is a huge match.<\/p>\n
\u201cMorocco resembles us from four years ago, no-one expected them to go so far. They have deserved to be where they are, they have matured and developed and went to a higher level with every game. They have grown into a team that are full of energy and self-motivated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are definitely the most pleasant and biggest surprise from this World Cup, speaking of teams who could have done better \u2013 Spain, Germany, Netherlands, England \u2013 Italy did not even qualify. This is a specific World Cup where a third-place play-off is played by two nations who were not favourites.\u201d<\/p>\n
TEAM NEWS<\/h2>\n
Regragui confirmed skipper Romain Saiss will not be fit for the match, having risked his captain at just \u201c60-70%\u201d in the semi-final, a decision which backfired when he limped off after just 20 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took a risk but it was a risk worth taking,\u201d added Regragui.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to go out to battle with him leading the battalion. We have another couple of injured players but we will see how it goes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really, really pushed our players to their limits but they still want to go out and play again. We are going to be taking risks again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Croatia could be without midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, who was taken off in the semi-final defeat by Argentina.<\/p>\n
Centre-back Josko Gvardiol, who has impressed throughout the tournament, is nursing a foot injury but may still play.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-169.png\")
<\/figure>\nMATCH FACTS<\/h2>\n
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