The French team is hoping that captain Kylian Mbappe will return and score in the match against Poland, taking place at 11:00 p.m. on June 25.
Kylian Mbappe is eager to return to play for France after injury. Photo: EFE
The French team is almost certain to win tickets to the round of 16 at EURO 2024, having won 4 points in Group D. However, through 2 matches they have only scored 1 goal, but that was an own goal by Defender Maxmimilian Woeber on the Austrian team.
In the match against the Netherlands, France drew 0-0. Kylian Mbappe did not play due to injury. It is expected that he will play the Polish national team match with a mask to protect his nose. The French players are looking forward to Mbappe returning to play, especially with Antoine Grizemann’s incompetence in the match against the Netherlands.
“Mbappe is very excited to play in the next match. I think he’s gradually gotten used to wearing a mask. Of course, he didn’t want to wear it, but after consulting with a doctor, he had no other choice. This will not affect Mbappe. We know that when he plays, he will make a lot of contributions to the team,” said midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
Mbappe was the one whose pass caused Austria’s Woeber to score an own goal in France’s 1-0 win over Austria. The star, 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in 1998, is the biggest threat on the French team’s attack line.
Marcus Thuram led the French team’s attack, but in the match against the Netherlands, he was unable to create a breakthrough. The striker playing for Inter Milan only scored 2 goals in 22 appearances for the national team. Meanwhile, Antoine Griezmann has only scored 2 goals in his last 30 appearances for France. As for Dembele, he has only scored 1 goal in the past 3 years for the national team.
Kingsley Coman is still actively working on his fitness after missing the end of the season with Bayern Munich due to injury. And Randal Kolo Muani is going through a difficult campaign when he has to face competition from Mbappe himself at Paris Saint-Germain last season.
“It’s disappointing but there’s nothing to worry about. France’s defense and midfield are doing very well. We don’t give our opponents many chances, but we have to improve our attack and become more dangerous,” Antoine Grizemann said after the match against the Netherlands, where he missed very clear opportunities.
To date, Mbappe has scored 47 goals in 79 matches for the national team. With solid defense and many creative elements in the midfield, Mbappe has many conditions to score against Poland. In addition, the French team’s opponents also somewhat lost motivation after being eliminated early.
France only needs a draw to be sure of reaching the round of 16. Even if they lose, they still have tickets to continue, if Austria cannot beat the Netherlands. However, Mbappe and the French team need to win the top spot in the group to have an advantage in the knock-out round.