Head coach Didier Deschamps picked Kylian Mbappé as a replacement ahead of France’s Friday (3 p.m. ET on FOX) Euro 2024 matchup against the Netherlands.
The chiefs of the France national team were happy with the star forward’s recovery after he suffered a broken nose in the squad’s opening tournament match on Monday.
Even though Mbappé had been training with the team for the previous two days and had been spotted wearing a protective mask in the red, white, and blue colors of the French flag, it was decided after a late evaluation that he would not be risked in the starting lineup.
That particular mask is not permitted to be worn if Mbappé plays any minutes off the bench because it violates UEFA’s “single color” policy for such items. However, Deschamps’ staff has a number of substitute masks available for Mbappé to select from, some of which were brought to UEFA officials for approval during a pre-game technical meeting.
Around 75 minutes prior to kickoff, the team announced their lineup, putting an end to any uncertainty regarding Mbappe’s availability following his injury during the 1-0 victory over Austria.
The day before Friday’s game, Mbappé’s buddy and coworker, Antoine Griezmann, was present at the news conference usually designated for the captain, and he was appointed captain. Griezmann will play on the left, where Mbappe prefers to be, with Marcus Thuram shifting up and Aurelien Tchouameni entering the starting lineup.
Griezmann informed reporters, “Kylian is doing very well, although his nose is a little swollen.” ” We’ll wait until the very last minute, based on his feelings.
France and the Netherlands were in a fierce competition to win Group D heading into Friday’s match. In the qualifying round, it defeated the Netherlands twice.
When Mbappé attempted a header in Dusseldorf, his face struck Austrian defender Kevin Danso’s shoulder, causing an injury.
On Thursday, coach Deschamps expressed optimism after initial concerns that Mbappé would require surgery or miss several games.
“I can confirm that Kylian Mbappé is feeling better and all is evolving well to see him available tomorrow,” Deschamps stated. “It’s moving in the right direction.”
Mbappé was seen repeatedly tapping his knuckles on the mask during France’s training, possibly to gauge the amount of agony that would result from any hit.
Without a doubt, Mbappé has shown his worth to the team, as seen most notably by his incredible hat trick in the penalty shootout loss France suffered against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.
