It is at the “Stade de Marseille” (and not at the Stade Vélodrome or the Orange Vélodrome, mentions hidden as much as possible) that Thierry Henry’s French team begins the men’s football tournament of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The Bleuets, reinforced by Alexandre Lacazette as scorer and captain, challenge the United States, this Wednesday evening (9 p.m., live on France 2). A victory is imperative against the main competitor of group A, before facing Guinea and New Zealand.
Thierry Henry finally opted for a midfield composed of Manu Koné at number 6 and Enzo Millot and Joris Chotard as relay players, at the expense of Maghnes Akliouche, who was expected to eventually join the starting eleven after his impressive 45 minutes during the last preparation match against Japan (1-1).
Thierry Henry’s options
In the 4-3-1-2 (4-4-2 diamond) established by the 98 world champion since his induction into the Espoirs, Michael Olise will play in support of “Laca” and Jean-Philippe Mateta (also above the age limit of 23). Rayan Cherki, Desiré Doué and Arnaud Kalimuendo are the three attacking options on the bench, the teams having only 18 players on the match sheet.
The defensive sector does not contain any surprises, Guillaume Restes, the Toulouse goalkeeper, is protected by a quality central hinge composed of Loïc Badé (the 3rd player over 23 years old) and Castello Lukeba.
The composition of France: Remains – Sildillia, Badé, Lukeba, Truffert – Chotard, Koné, Millot – Olise – Mateta, Lacazette (cap.).
