On Sunday, the French team will face Croatia in the quarterfinals of the Nations League at 20:45 UTC+1 at the Stade de France. Ahead of the game,
Le Parisien
and
L’Equipe
attempted to predict the lineup chosen by coach Didier Deschamps for the upcoming game. This encounter will feature four Paris Saint-Germain athletes on the French roster: Warren Zaïre-Emery, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, and Bradley Barcola. Despite several alterations from their previous loss with a scoreline of 2-0 in the initial round, Dembélé remains as the only one starting off, continuing his role at central midfield.
Le Parisian and L’Equipe (4-3-3) –
Mbappé – Dembélé – Olise
Camavinga – Tchouaméni – Koné
T. Hernandez – Saliba – Upamecano – Koundé
Maignan.
All media outlets concur regarding this squad, hence the element of uncertainty is minimal. Particularly since Didier Deschamps does not usually spring surprises on journalists. Consequently, Dembèle might keep his position similar to what he had at PSG, despite the overall setup being inherently distinct.
It’s intriguing to consider the possibilities with Mbappé and Olise in play. The outcome hinges on how the squad is structured. Keep in mind that this midfield tends toward a more defensively oriented role compared to what they had at PSG, which likely means less frequent forays into deeper areas of the pitch. Nonetheless, fans should anticipate an approach that’s sharper and potentially even more dazzling than seen previously.
We’re hoping that the players from Paris sitting on the bench can join the game, particularly Doué, whose creative input might prevent him feeling let down after his initial appearance without even a minute’s action. Additionally, it would be good if we could ease up on Dembélé by avoiding using him throughout the entire match.
