Deschamps rings changes for France friendly against Colombia | OneFootball

France will make several changes to its lineup for the friendly against Colombia, which will be played on Sunday in the United States, France head coach Didier Deschamps announced this Saturday.

The 57-year-old French coach had already indicated earlier his intention to observe as many players as possible during the current FIFA international window, the last one before national teams unveil their squads for the North American World Cup (from June 11 to July 19).

Victory over Brazil and focus on testing

On Thursday, fielding their strongest lineup, Les Bleus secured a 2-1 victory over Brazil, coached by Carlo Ancelotti, in Foxborough, near Boston.

“Now is the time to make changes. I want to see the maximum number of players on the field again,” Deschamps said during a press conference.

Rabiot is doubtful; Doué shows improvement

The two-time world champion (1998 and 2018) faces uncertainty over the availability of midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who is recovering from a knee injury and was ruled out of Saturday’s training session ahead of the clash with the Colombians in Landover, Maryland.

Forward Désiré Doué, however, is doing better after experiencing back pain, the national team coach said.

“Dés felt pain in a rib. He underwent tests and is feeling better today. He will take part in the session (training), and I will see how he feels. Rabiot will not train, as a precaution. He took a knock to the knee,” Deschamps said.

See also: All Gazeta Esportiva news Gazeta Esportiva's YouTube channel Follow Gazeta Esportiva on Instagram Join Gazeta Esportiva’s WhatsApp channel

Question mark at left-back and Mbappé’s situation

One of Les Bleus’ main uncertainties is who will fill the left-back position, where a small battle appears to be taking shape between Theo Hernandez and Lucas Digne.

It is possible that forward Kylian Mbappé, star of Real Madrid, will not play at Northwest Stadium, home of the NFL’s Washington Commanders, which is not among the venues selected for the World Cup.

The captain — who scored his 56th goal for France against Brazil, leaving him just one short of equaling Olivier Giroud’s record — is expected to start on the bench and perhaps come on in the final moments of the match, as he is only now recovering after nearly a month out due to a sprain in his left knee.

Colombia arrives after defeat

Colombia arrives in Maryland after a 2-1 defeat to Croatia on Thursday in Orlando, a match in which its captain and main star, James Rodríguez, delivered a quiet performance.

*Content produced by AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.