Kylian Mbappé keeps place as England await, eyes top scorer duel with Lionel Messi | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappé will start Saturday against England in the third-place play-off, focused on his duel with Lionel Messi for top scorer. According to L'Équipe, he keeps his place for the 23:00 kick-off in Miami.

He drew a blank in the 0-2 semi-final defeat by Spain on Tuesday. Both he and Messi have eight goals in seven matches, so the race remains in play.

France’s players are not enthused, even seeking a midnight pass on Thursday that was refused. Didier Deschamps wants rigour to finish well, and Mbappé needs little extra motivation.

The captain had dreamt of a third straight final, avenging 2022 and reliving 2018, but Dallas ended that. The immediate gloom has eased and the Miami date now matters.

He has often cushioned team setbacks with individual returns, twice topping La Liga while Real Madrid won no major title in the past two seasons. He has 20 World Cup goals to Messi’s 21, keeping the all-time mark within reach.

Most regulars are set to start on the bench, but Mbappé will lead from the outset to chase history. Ibrahima Konaté reckons an individual trophy would please him, yet says Mbappé would rather have scored none and won the competition.

Deschamps views the individual target as legitimate and stresses that third is better than fourth, with the captain’s duties coming first. Picking Mbappé also improves France’s chance of beating England and leaving the United States lighter of heart.

Source: L'Équipe