In a few days, the French team will go from the very hot atmosphere of the Parc des Princes to the freezing cold of Helsinki. After winning his ticket for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Saturday by crushing Kazakhstan (8-0) in front of a jubilant audience, the Blues travel to Scandinavia on Tuesday to complete qualifying against Finland. The successful performance, praised by all round ball observers, should not be tarnished by a poor performance. This would oppose the tricolor rebirth of the fall, symbolized by the coronation of October in the League of Nations and the attractive game offered on Saturday in Paris.
“In our minds, we are the France team, we want to win all the matches. Even if we are already qualified, we want to stay focused“, assures defender Dayot Upamecano, holder against Kazakhstan alongside Jules Koundé and Lucas Hernandez, victim of a blow at the end of the match. This meeting in Finland will be the last gathering of the Blues before a cut of four months. Didier Deschamps wants to take advantage of this trip to Nordic soil to refine his ideas and work on the automatisms of his line of attack.
Deschamps will have to make choices
The coach of the Blues could change the list of players lined up against Kazakhstan but for him, the team has the “to have to“to aim for victory, because of their”status“world champions and”to respect the opponent, all opponents“.” DD “will therefore have to make choices, between continuity and rotation, between individual desires and collective ambition. Will he want to see Aurélien Tchouaméni again in the midfield, as in the final of the League of Nations, even if it means placing Adrien Rabiot on the bench? Will he renew on the right wing Kingsley Coman, excellent Saturday, or will he give Benjamin Pavard some playing time?
Confined to the substitutes’ bench, Kurt Zouma hopes to have a chance to show himself, like Lucas Digne or Mattéo Guendouzi, still awaiting a first selection for his fifth international meeting.
Finland wants to bring down the Blues again
But be careful not to take the Finns lightly. 50th year Fifa ranking, the selection of “Hiboux Grand-Ducs” had created surprise by beating the Habs (2-0) during a friendly match in November 2020. Currently second in Group D to Ukraine, they will be able to play in the play-offs in March if they keep this place with the hope of playing the first World Cup in its history.
The team of Glen Kamara and Teemu Pukki arrives swollen by the success brought back from Bosnia and Herzegovina (3-1) on Saturday, despite the expulsion in the first period of Jukka Raitala, suspended Tuesday. A draw in front of his home crowd could be enough for him, depending on the result of Bosnia-Ukraine played Tuesday at the same time.
The play-offs will be played in March with two knockout rounds. At this time, the Blues could for their part play a friendly mini-tournament in Qatar, as a foretaste of the 2022 World Cup.