D-1 before the big reunion. Thursday, almost four years after the historic semi-final in Qatar, France and Morocco meet in Boston for the first quarter-final of the 2026 World Cup.
In four years, the face of the Blues has changed considerably. Only three players from the eleven who started in Qatar should be on the pitch on Thursday at kick-off: Jules Koundé, Ousmane Dembele and obviously Kylian Mbappé.
A fourth could have accompanied them: vice-captain Aurélien Tchouameni. Alas, if he is in the eyes of Didier Deschamps an indisputable starter, the Madrilenian injured his thigh on the eve of the round of 16 against Paraguay and will be too tight for Thursday.
Aurélien Tchouameni back to collective training?
The former Bordeaux player trained separately again on Tuesday, performing a few laps of the field with Cyril Moine. If he could return to the group this Wednesday for the (light) match eve session, it is difficult to imagine him starting on Thursday against the Atlas Lions.
In the absence of Aurélien Tchouameni, it is once again Manu Koné who should replace him in the midfield alongside Adrien Rabiot and for the first time since the start of the World Cup, Didier Deschamps should line up the same eleven as the one who started against Paraguay.
The probable composition against Morocco:
Maignan – Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne – Rabiot, Koné – Dembele, Olise, Barcola – Mbappé
