Qatar objective for the Blues. The French team faces Côte d’Ivoire on Friday (9:15 p.m.) in a friendly match to begin preparing for the World Cup to be held at the end of the year. Originally, this series of preliminary matches was to take place in Doha and face top teams such as Portugal, Italy and Argentina, but the project fell through. It is therefore in Marseille at the Vélodrome stadium that this preparation for the World Cup begins.
For the occasion, 65,000 spectators are expected to witness the return of the Blues, six years after the last visit. At the time, the French stunned Germany at Euro 2016 with a brace from Antoine Griezmann. This confrontation is therefore faced with Côte d’Ivoire in order to “progress, improve our collective, our automatisms“said Jules Koundé, who became a starter in defense.”For me, friendly matches don’t exist. I only see one team that we will play against, that we will do everything to beat“, assures the Sevilla FC player.
Without Benzema but with Giroud
Côte d’Ivoire, not qualified for the World Cup-2022, will gauge themselves against a private collective of course from Benzema, who remained in Spain to treat his left calf, but who still has a strike force with little equivalent. on planet football. “It’s a pride to play against your country and against the best in the world, at the Vélodrome, a legendary stadium, against top players“, salivates the French coach of the “Elephants”, Patrice Beaumelle. “You have to savor, but stay focused“, he continues, convinced that his team has “things to show“.
His counterpart Didier Deschamps will have to recompose an attack line usually occupied by the irremovable trio formed by Griezmann, Benzema and Kylian Mbappé. Called up for the first time since the Euros, Giroud is applying to be the third man, but competition from Wissam Ben Yedder and novice Christopher Nkunku is blocking his horizons. The Leipzig striker (24), who “maintains a very high level of performance” according to the coach, is one of three newcomers to the France group, along with OM central defender William Saliba and Lens right winger Jonathan Clauss.
The waking dream of Jonathan Clauss
At 29, the Blood and Gold is living a waking dream by rubbing shoulders for the first time under the tricolor tunic with stars Hugo Lloris, Raphaël Varane, Paul Pogba and Kingsley Coman. In November 2016, when the Blues faced Côte d’Ivoire (0-0) in a friendly match in Lens, the native of Strasbourg wore the jersey … of Avranches, in the third division, without a professional contract. Deschamps will surely not launch the Lensois on Friday in Marseille, where the almost complete standard team is expected at kick-off.
The coach will still probably be deprived of the tireless midfielder N’Golo Kanté, absent for family reasons and whose return to the selection remains uncertain. Adrien Rabiot and Aurélien Tchouaméni are neck and neck to take the place usually occupied by “NG” alongside Paul Pogba. In defense, Koundé, Varane and Lucas Hernandez start from pole position. Presnel Kimpembe, weakened by bronchitis this week, was content to run with the physical trainer on Thursday at Clairefontaine, after having already skipped the training session the day before.