France were sweating over the fitness of two key players as they prepared to take on Spain in tonight’s World Cup semi-final.
Didier Deschamps’ side are in a great run of form, progressing through the knockouts past Sweden, Paraguay and Morocco without conceding a goal.
But the France head coach had an injury headache over Aurelien Tchouameni and Manu Kone in the build-up to this last-four encounter.
Tchouameni returned to team training after suffering a thigh injury after the last-32 defeat of Sweden. Kone, meanwhile, came off in the second-half of the quarter-final win over Morocco with a minor knee injury.
Both were in a race to be fit for this match, and it is Tchouameni who has been given the nod to line up alongside Adrien Rabiot.
Captain and talisman Kylian Mbappe suffered a minor ankle injury against Morocco but assured reporters post-match he was “completely fine”.
Mbappe’s opener against Morocco was a brilliant strike from the edge of the area and reiterated his ability to decide tight games. His dovetailing with Michael Olise and Ballon d’Or-winning forward Ousmane Dembele has elevated Les Bleus to a level far above any other teams at this year’s tournament.
Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola have been rotated by Deschamps on the left wing, but it is the latter who gets the start here.
William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano’s absence from training on Saturday was a slight cause for concern, though both feature here. Arsenal star Saliba was reportedly given a rest day, while Upamecano undertook an individual session.
Lucas Digne and Jules Kounde are cemented at full-back, as is Mike Maignan in goal.
France XI: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Rabiot, Tchouameni; Dembele, Olise, Barcola; Mbappe
How to watch: ITV
Time and date: 8pm BST today, July 14
Venue: AT&T Stadium, Texas
