“The Irish will know our team on Wednesday and I will wait an hour before kick-off to find out theirs.” Didier Deschamps showed himself annoyed at the end of his press conference, Wednesday afternoon at the Parc des Princes, when he was questioned about his team choices for the return of the Blues against Ireland, Thursday (8:45 p.m. TF1). Not sure it will be less so in the evening.
In view of the closed session which took place on the magnificent lawn of the Park, despite the stifling heat, the coach of the Blues has decided. Lucas Hernandez should be lined up in the center of defense alongside Dayot Upamecano. The Parisian would thus benefit from the package of Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konaté. Attractive with Arsenal, William Saliba aspired to a starting place but the importance of the match against Ireland in the mind of the boss from vice-world champions led him to decide otherwise. For Deschamps, the time for experimentation has no place in a match counting for qualification for Euro 2024.
On the left, Théo Hernandez will be expected to put the low block of the evening visitors in difficulty. On the right, Jules Koundé should be preferred to Benjamin Pavard, who has only just signed at Inter Milan. In the midfield, no surprise with the presence of Aurélien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot and Antoine Griezmann. In front, the Kylian Mbappé-Olivier Giroud-Ousmane Dembélé trio should start in view of the set-up. Slightly affected in an ankle, the neo-Parisian Randal Kolo Muani will start on the bench. Next Tuesday in Germany, he should have more playing time to show off.
