18 Bleus to gather at Clairefontaine to start World Cup preparations | OneFootball

Eighteen of France’s 26-man squad will report to Clairefontaine on Friday to begin World Cup preparations, with several finalists absent. Les Bleus open on 16 June in New York against Senegal.

According to L'Équipe, the group meet at midday, with a first session at 17.00. The Paris players Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé, plus Arsenal defender William Saliba, are excused as they contest the Champions League final on Saturday in Budapest.

Crystal Palace pair Maxence Lacroix and Jean-Philippe Mateta, fresh from Wednesday’s Conference League final win in Leipzig against Rayo Vallecano, 1-0, with Mateta scoring, are due on Saturday. Champions League finalists are expected at the Château on Tuesday morning, before a scheduled lunch with Emmanuel Macron.

The Paris contingent and Saliba should be eased through the first warm-up next Thursday at 21.10 in Nantes against Côte d'Ivoire. All players can feature in the second, on 8 June at 21.10 in Lille against Northern Ireland, followed by a rest day and a 10 June flight to Boston, the team’s base during the tournament.

In all, there are 12 days of preparation in France, with the early focus on recovery after a long season, particularly for those who played last summer’s Club World Cup.

Source: L'Équipe