Grieving following the death of Didier Deschamps’ mother, the French team nevertheless wants to finish the job in style for its coach. Tomorrow evening, at 9 p.m., the Blues will face Norway with the aim of finishing first in Group I. A place which would allow them to face a third place in the group in the round of 32, on June 30 in New York. A high-stakes match for which the French staff should still make some changes depending on The Team.
This will therefore be an opportunity for some to show themselves just before the start of the knockout phase. In defense, there is a good chance that William Saliba, hit in the back, will be preserved. A godsend for Maxence Lacroix. The Crystal Palace player made a strong impression last March. There is no doubt that a good match against the great Norwegian attackers (Haaland, Sorloth) will bring him credit and confidence… and will also increase his rating at a time when Chelsea would be interested in his services.
A turnover, but not for Cherki?
On the right flank of the defense, Malo Gusto could start in place of Jules Koundé after his 7 minutes of play against Iraq. In the middle, Aurélien Tchouameni should make his return, but he would not be aligned with his usual partner, Adrien Rabiot. The Milanese having played the first two matches, he could be preserved, which would allow Manu Koné to play a second consecutive match. In attack, change is also expected.
Finally, if Kylian Mbappé also wishes to move on, just to get closer to Lionel Messi in the ranking of top scorers for the 2026 World Cup, the question is whether Ousmame Dembélé and Michael Olise will both be aligned. There will be at least one, but The Team indicates that Rayan Cherki should not take advantage of this turnover to have playing time. If this is the case, this would confirm that the former Lyonnais has lost points in the eyes of the staff. For his part, Désiré Doué would regain his starting place at the expense of Bradley Barcola.
