France have one last rehearsal before the World Cup. Northern Ireland are the guests. The Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille hosts this one and Didier Deschamps has questions to answer after a flat defeat to Ivory Coast.
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That loss came with a heavily rotated squad. Nobody is panicking. But losing 2-1 when you are the top ranked team in the world and the favorites to lift the trophy stings. France have won eight of their last ten. They finished top of their qualifying group with five wins and a draw. Kylian Mbappe leads an attack so deep that Deschamps can afford to rest his Champions League finalists and still field a front line that would start for almost any nation on earth.
Saliba and the PSG contingent featured in the Champions League final and will likely sit this one out. That means Konate, Akilouche, and Thuram get the platform to stake a claim for the opener against Senegal. The depth is absurd.
Northern Ireland arrive with nothing to lose and everything to prove. Their World Cup dream died in the playoffs against Italy. A 2-0 loss ended hopes of a first finals appearance since 1986. But Michael O’Neill is building something. The starting eleven that beat Guinea on Thursday had an average age of just over twenty two. This is a young, hungry squad that just earned promotion from the Nations League third tier.
The history between these two is brief and brutal. Three meetings. Three France wins. Nine goals scored. One conceded. All before the year 2000. Northern Ireland are not here to rewrite history. They are here to measure themselves against the best before a tough Nations League campaign in September.
Tom Atcheson is suspended after a red card against Guinea. Trai Hume slots in. Otherwise, O’Neill is expected to keep faith with the side that has shown real fight in recent outings. France 3-0 Northern Ireland. A straightforward night for Les Bleus before the real thing begins.
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One week until France vs Senegal at MetLife. The friendlies are done after this. Everything gets real
Northern Ireland’s average age was 22.1 against Guinea. That’s a youth project that could be scary in a few years
Mbappe, Olise, Thuram as a front three with Cherki pulling strings behind. That’s not fair
Saliba and the PSG boys rested after the UCL final. France’s B team is still better than most A teams
Deschamps using this to test his fringe players before Senegal. Smart management or risky chemistry disruption
France 3-0 is the safest bet on the board. No drama. No injuries. Just a professional send off before Senegal
Northern Ireland just got promoted from Nations League tier three. Hungary, Ukraine, Georgia away in September. Baptism by fire
The Stade Pierre-Mauroy is going to be bouncing. Last home game before they fly to North America
France lost to Ivory Coast with a rotated squad and people are already panicking. Relax. Mbappe didn’t even play
Thuram starting against Northern Ireland is a chance to show he deserves the spot over the PSG contingent
Michael O’Neill doing a proper rebuild. Young squad. Clear identity. They’ll be back in World Cup contention soon
Three meetings. Three France wins. 9-1 aggregate. Northern Ireland are walking into a wall
Akilouche getting a chance to stake his claim before the World Cup. These are the games where careers shift
Northern Ireland haven’t been to a World Cup since 1986. Forty years. That wait continues but the future actually looks bright
France’s only defeat in ten was with a rotated squad in a meaningless friendly. Context matters