Few teams taking part in the World Cup can boast to having as good a squad as that of France. Simply put, the French could have easily assembled two,perhaps even three, competitive teams for this summer’s tournament.
Les Bleus have been slowly developing their squad in recent years. And quite rightly, the nation’s hopes, are that this team could rival the achievements of the generation that won the World Cup in 1998.
France finished as Runners-up in their last major tournament, Euro 2016 and the logical step forward would be to attempt to win the World Cup this summer. If history is any indicator, France’s biggest rivals would likely be themselves.
Notre équipe pour la Coupe du Monde 👊🇫🇷 #FiersdetreBleus #ListeDes23 pic.twitter.com/Wq2KGAYoQX
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) May 17, 2018
– Star players: Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe
– FootballCoin stars: Florian Thauvin 1,487.71 seasonal points (Easy)
Hugo Lloris 900.55 seasonal points (Pro), 594.00 (Easy)
– Coach: Didier Deschamps
– Group: C
– Group fixtures:
Sat June 16: France – Australia, Kazan, 11am
Thu June 21: France – Peru, Ekaterinburg, 1pm
Tue June 26: Denmark – France, Moscow (Luzhniki), 3pm
– Prediction: France should not have any trouble progressing from their group. In fact, if the squad is in good form, they should be expected to capture all nine points from their group fixtures.
The knockout stages could prove more interesting, with the likelihood of France meeting Croatia in the Round of 16, in a repeat of the 1998 World Cup game. Although games will become increasingly more difficult, France are to be considered among the tournament favorites.
– Squad:
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur/England), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Alphonse Areola (Paris Saint-Germain);
Defenders: Djibril Sidibe (Monaco), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart/Germany), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona/Spain), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid/Spain), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain), Adil Rami (Marseille), Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City/England), Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid/Spain);
Midfielders: Paul Pogba (Manchester United/England), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich/Germany), Blaise Matuidi (Juventus/Italy), Ngolo Kante (Chelsea/England), Steven Nzonzi (Sevilla/Spain);
Forwards: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid/Spain), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea/England), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona/Spain), Florian Thauvin (Marseille), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Thomas Lemar (Monaco)
– World Cup history: 1930, 1934, 1938, 1954, 1958 (Third place), 1966, 1978, 1982 (Fourth place), 1986 (Third place), 1998 (Winner), 2002, 2006 (Runners-Up), 2010, 2014, 2018
