France striker Olivier Giroud will be out to break a World Cup record when Les Bleus meet Morocco in the semi-finals of the 2022 edition on Wednesday.
Despite his advancing years, the AC Milan attacker remains Didier Deschamps's undisputed first-choice number nine, and he has scored four goals in Qatar so far.
Giroud netted twice in France's opening 4-1 win over Australia, which saw him draw level with Thierry Henry at the top of the men's all-time scoring charts for his country.
The 36-year-old then surpassed his former Arsenal teammate with a 52nd national team goal against Poland, and he came up with the winner in a 2-1 quarter-final victory over England.
Giroud is expected to start France's semi-final with African trailblazers Morocco, as Les Bleus aim to become the first reigning champions since Brazil in 1998 to reach the World Cup final.
Should the former Arsenal and Chelsea striker find the back of the net on Wednesday, he will set a new record as the oldest player to score five goals at a single World Cup.
Giroud only found the back of the net once in 12 previous World Cup appearances prior to the 2022 tournament, scoring his first in a 5-2 group-stage win over Switzerland in 2014.
The veteran attacker failed to score in any of Les Bleus' seven games during their run to the final in 2018, although he did come up with two assists against Peru and Argentina.
However, Giroud will have to continue until the 2030 World Cup if he wants to break the record for the tournament's oldest goalscorer, which is currently held by Roger Milla after he netted at the age of 42 in 1994.
Giroud has formed an effective attacking quartet with Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe, the latter of whom has already struck five goals at the Qatar tournament.
France could therefore also match a 20-year-old feat if Giroud nets on Wednesday, as no team has had more than one player score at least five goals at a single World Cup since Ronaldo and Rivaldo did so for Brazil in 2002.
In order to do so, Mbappe and Giroud must breach a Morocco defence that has not conceded to an opposing player in the entire competition, with the only goal that Walid Regragui's side have shipped coming via a Nayef Aguerd own goal.
Deschamps's men are taking on a Morocco side who have already made history as the first-ever African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals, while France are competing in the final four for the seventh time.
Each of Les Bleus' last three appearances in the semi-finals saw them advance to the final in 1998, 2006 and 2018, but they had previously lost three in a row in 1958, 1982 and 1986.
France were handed a couple of fitness concerns on Monday, though, as Aurelien Tchouameni and Dayot Upamecano missed training with a calf injury and illness respectively. body check tags ::
