FRANCE – POLAND | Sunday 4pm
France did not manage to finish with a full score in the group, imitated – incidentally – by the other big names in the Qatari World Cup. But qualification for the round of 16 was never a real problem for Didier Deschamps’ France, who arrived in Qatar with huge expectations and with the aim of defending and trying to repeat their 2018 triumph in Russia.
Ready and the two early victories against Australia and Denmark – two matches in which the superiority of the transalpines, net of a few minor blunders, appeared clear – swept away any doubts about a possible flop, which is always just around the corner given the singular “curse” that has haunted the reigning champion national team since 2010, unable to reach the knockout phase. Mbappé and his teammates broke this taboo, closing all talks after the first 180 minutes.
How France fared in the group stage
Yet the start had not been the best. In the opener against the Australians, Les Bleus were even down after just nine laps of the clock. The fear of a false start was real and some had thought back to the 2002 World Cup debut defeat in South Korea and Japan, when France – also defending champions at the time – surrendered to a surprising Senegal. Deschamps’ men, however, reacted immediately, overwhelming Arnold’s selection with goals, overwhelming them 4-1. In addition to the usual Mbappé, there was a lot of Serie A in the scorers’ table: Juventus’ Rabiot confirmed his sensational moment of form, scoring and also providing an assist for Milan’s Giroud, who replaced the injured Benzema and made his debut with a brace.
Against the Danes, the scene was taken by the Psg phenomenon, one of the most eagerly awaited players of the Middle East rainbow. With two goals, Mbappé chastened the Scandinavians (2-1), allowing France to secure their pass to the round of 16 with two rounds to spare. Finally, the last day’s false step against Tunisia (1-0) was irrelevant, with Deschamps probably exaggerating with the turnover, completely revolutionising the starting line-up. In fact Griezmann had found the equalising goal in the last minute, but the referee first validated and then annulled the goal after a lengthy consultation with the Var system, which nevertheless took place after the triple whistle. Decision that prompted France to appeal
Poland’s (over)speculative football
Zielinski exults after goal against Saudi Arabia
With six goals scored in three games, France boast one of the best attacks in the tournament and the feeling is that the transalpine players have yet to fully show their immense offensive potential. Finished in the quadrant without the two South American greats, Brazil and Argentina, the defending champions could meet England in the quarters, provided they both get the better of Senegal and Poland.
The team led by Czeslaw Michniewicz, in the round of 16 after 36 years, will try to trip up one of the event’s main favourites by relying on its ultra-defensive attitude, which still allowed it to finish second behind Argentina in Group C, but ahead of Mexico and Saudi Arabia. Despite the presence in attack of an absolute top striker like Robert Lewandowski, Poland is one of the selections that took fewer shots on goal and kept the ball in their feet very little.
It is emblematic of what happened in the match against the Argentinians: after conceding two goals at the start of the second half – which could have been three if Messi had not had Szczesny’s penalty saved – the Poles practically gave up playing, with the only concern being not to worsen the goal difference (or the number of yellow cards) against Mexico, who beat the Saudis in the other match. Poland had debuted with a blank-net draw with the Mexicans, then settled Arabia 2-0 thanks to goals from Zielinksi and Lewandowski (and another penalty saved by Szczesny).
France-Poland: the latest line-up news
Deschamps, after the unbridled turnover against Tunisia, will return to the starting line-up. Behind the sharpshooter Giroud will be three key players in the shape of Dembelé, Griezmann and Mbappé, while in the centre of the pitch we will see the familiar pair of Rabiot and Tchouaméni. The coach’s only doubt concerns the defence, where Koundé and Pavard seem to be in the running, with the Barça defender likely to prevail. Theo Hernandez, irreplaceable after the injury suffered by his brother Lucas, will also return from the 1′.
Polish coach Michniewicz is unlikely to field Milik and Lewandowski together in attack: in the schoolboy 4-4-2 with which he will try to stop the French firepower, there will only be room for one of the two. Most probably the Barcelona striker will be flanked by Swiderski as against Argentina. At the back, confirmations for Glik, Kiwior and Bereszynski.
The prediction
It’s hard to imagine a result other than France’s victory against a team that passed the round by the skin of their teeth, playing frankly very badly and relying entirely on defence. Thanks to their overflowing quality, Les Bleus will manage – sooner or later – to breach the wall erected by the Poles and advance to the quarter-finals. They are likely to score at least two goals overall.
France v Poland: likely line-ups
- FRANCE (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Koundé, Varane, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Tchouaméni, Rabiot; Dembelé, Griezmann, Mbappé; Giroud.
- POLAND (4-4-2): Szczesny; Cash, Glik, Kiwior, Bereszynski; Zielinski, Bielik, Krychowiak, Frankowski; Lewandowski, Swiderski.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 3-1
