Didier Deschamps, the coach of Les Bleus, has said that he will make changes to his team when they play Tunisia in their Group D matchup at the Education City Stadium today because France has already qualified for the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The defending champion will advance to the round of 16 as the Group D winner if France draws against Tunisia after winning both of its games against Australia and Denmark in the tournament.
Even a defeat will be enough so long as Australia don’t beat Denmark and overturn France’s advantage on goal difference, which currently stands at six.
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“There will be changes. How many? You won’t know, and neither will the opponent,” Deschamps said yesterday. “I have it (the starting list) one hour, thirty minutes before the match. The good thing is all the 24 players are fit to play, and we have to take into account that there have been two games in four days.”
Deschamps said France would not take Tunisia lightly because the North Africans would be motivated as they are also gunning for maximum points to keep their tournament hopes alive. However, he noted that his side has some elbow room since they already qualified.
“The momentum comes with results. The fact that we’re already through, like Brazil and Portugal, gives us a bit of leeway, but we are not going to be relaxed.
“We want to obtain the best possible result. I consider it important, and it is also important for the players.”
Deschamps cooled down talks about resting Kylian Mbappe even if the in-form forward doesn’t want it. Mbappe already has three goals in Qatar, one shy of his four total in 2018. Deschamps said the PSG star is physically fine and has no ego.
“Physically, he is very well, but you guys (journalists) are saying I could have him play to preserve his ego. All the players want to play, but they cannot all start.
“Does he want to play? You guys don’t know, but I know. He doesn’t have (that kind of) ego. He’s part of a collective, and of course, he has this capacity to be in the limelight because he’s decisive, but he’s not 18 anymore,” Deschamps added.
Midfielder Aurellin Tchouameni, who has been a dependable force in the French midfield, particularly in the absence of Paul Pogba and N’golo Kante, stressed they would have to be at their best against Tunisia and the expected support from the crowd.
“We’re expecting a tough game. They’re going to give everything. They will be backed by many fans who came to Qatar, but that’s the kind of games we live for,” the Real Madrid star said.
Tunisia’s forward Youssef Msekni takes part in a training session yesterday.
Tunisia aim for the impossible
Aiming to qualify for the last 16 for the first time in their history, Tunisia remain the only African side yet to score in Qatar. Two poor back-to-back performances resulting in a draw against Denmark and a disappointing lone-goal loss to Australia means Jalel Kadri’s side must beat France to have a chance of remaining in the tournament. However, the Carthage Eagles’ hopes also depend on the outcome of the other group match between Australia and Denmark.
“The message I convey to our players is nothing is impossible; we are still alive, we are still motivated, and we will be ready for this last battle,” Kadri said.
“We still have high hopes. I believe in the players, and hopefully, we will be lucky and move on to the next phase.”
When: Today at 6:00pm
Where: Education City Stadium
Capacity: 44,667
Key stats:
– France were the first country to qualify for the knockout stages after Saturday’s victory over Denmark saw them post a second Group D win. They began the defence of their 2018 crown with a 4-1 victory over Australia.
– After a draw with Denmark in their opener, Tunisia lost to Australia in their second match and must beat the world champions to stand any chance of advancing.
– Twice champions France are competing at a 16th World Cup, having been in the field for the first tournament in Uruguay in 1930. They are now nine games unbeaten at the finals since their 2014 quarter-final defeat to Germany in Rio de Janeiro.
– Tunisia were the first African country to win a game at the World Cup finals when they beat Mexico 3-1 in Argentina in 1978.
– Ten of Tunisia’s 26-man squad were born in France and they have three players based at French clubs.
Previous meetings:
After two home victories in friendlies for France and two 1-1 draws in Tunis, the most recent of which occurred in 2010, this is the first competitive match between the two nations.
