Deschamps set to risk Mbappé for Poland clash at Euro 2024 despite last-16 slot

France boss Didier Deschamps hinted he would reinsert skipper Kylian Mbappé into the starting line-up for Tuesday night's clash against Poland even though France were assured of a place in the last-16 knockout stages on Monday night following Albania's defeat to Spain.

Mbappé, 25, missed last Friday's 0-0 draw against the Netherlands as he continued his recovery from the broken nose he sustained during the closing stages of France's opening day win over Austria on 18 June.

The stalemate in Leipzig between France and the Netherlands left both teams with four points each after two games in Group D.

On Monday night, France and the Netherlands were guaranteed a slot in the last-16 as one of the four best third-placed teams.

However, in the prelude to the third game in Group D in Dortmund, Deschamps conceded he would prefer to rest his top stars but suggested he would send out Mbappé – who will wear a face mask to protect his nose – in order to secure pole position

"Being first is important," said the 55-year-old who is seeking to become the first man to win the World Cup and European championship as a player and as a coach.

Goal

"Our aim is to keep everyone in the team and make sure that everyone feels ready," he added.

"If I could allocate playing time to everyone ... mathematically, that's impossible. It requires exchanges. but all my players are eligible for the starting line-up."

“He's getting better every day," said Deschamps. "The bruising on his nose has actually gone down and he's getting used to playing in a mask.

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