France start their quest to achieve one other World Cup closing with a troublesome opening check in opposition to Senegal on Tuesday in Group I of the 2026 match.
Les Bleus arrive with a powerful current document on the worldwide stage, having completed runners-up to Argentina in Qatar 2022 and successful the match in 2018. Didier Deschamps’ aspect are actually aiming to turn into solely the third nation in historical past to achieve three consecutive World Cup finals, after West Germany and Brazil.
France have additionally been remarkably constant, reaching 4 of the final seven World Cup finals (1998, 2006, 2018 and 2022), greater than every other nation throughout that interval. They’re now making their seventeenth World Cup look and their eighth in a row, the longest streak in their historical past.
On the coronary heart of their assault stays Kylian Mbappé, who has been the standout star of France’s current World Cup campaigns. The Actual Madrid ahead has scored 12 targets throughout the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, equalling Pelé and sitting simply 4 behind Miroslav Klose’s all-time document. His hat-trick in the 2022 closing additional underlined his standing as one of many biggest big-game performers in World Cup historical past.
France’s expertise can be unmatched. Deschamps, who captained France to World Cup glory in 1998, is now certainly one of solely three individuals to win the match as each participant and coach. Tuesday’s match shall be his twentieth World Cup recreation in cost of Les Bleus, with solely Helmut Schön managing extra for a single nation.
Nonetheless, Senegal arrive with confidence and perception, and historical past suggests they’re greater than able to inflicting issues.
The West African aspect famously shocked France 1-0 in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup, in what stays one of many match’s greatest upsets. That outcome marked Senegal’s debut on the world stage and set the tone for a outstanding run to the quarter-finals.
Now, greater than 20 years later, Senegal return for his or her fourth World Cup look and third in a row, matching the longest energetic streak by any African nation alongside Morocco and Tunisia.
Though their solely World Cup clear sheet nonetheless comes from that well-known 2002 victory over France, they may take confidence from a powerful qualifying marketing campaign in which they went unbeaten and completed high of their group forward of DR Congo.
Sadio Mané stays their greatest attacking risk, main the workforce in qualifying with 5 targets. The 34-year-old ahead, Senegal’s all-time high scorer, is showing at his second World Cup after taking part in each match in 2018.
Coach Pape Thiaw, who was a part of the Senegal squad that defeated France in 2002, now leads the workforce into his first World Cup as a supervisor. His aspect will look to repeat historical past, even in opposition to one of many match favourites.
Regardless of Senegal’s pedigree for surprises, France nonetheless enter the match as sturdy favourites. Ranked third in the world, Les Bleus are anticipated to dominate possession and possibilities, with the Opta supercomputer giving them a 65.6% probability of victory. Senegal’s possibilities stand at 14.9%, with a draw rated at 19.5%.
France are additionally tipped to win Group I and stay among the many high contenders for the trophy, whereas Senegal are seen as sturdy candidates to achieve the knockout stage.
Tuesday’s conflict, nonetheless, carries greater than statistics. It’s a assembly between a contemporary powerhouse and a nation with a confirmed historical past of upsetting the elite. France might have the celebrities, however Senegal have already proven they don’t seem to be intimidated by status.
For Deschamps’ aspect, it’s about beginning strongly and avoiding one other early shock. For Senegal, it’s about historical past repeating itself.
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