Following their disappointing defeat at the hands of Germany in their first March friendly, France will host Chile at Stade Velodrome on Tuesday.
France, who face Chile this midweek, have excelled in the recent World Cups, lifting the coveted trophy in 2018 and reaching the finals in 2022. Their performance in the last European Championship was a stark contrast, though, as they fell to a disappointing exit in the Round of 16 against Switzerland.
Didier Deschamps’s men are eager to redeem themselves this summer. However, Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Germany in Lyon has somewhat put a spanner in the works. Les Bleus were were extremely flat throughout after going behind to Florian Wirtz’s well-worked wonder goal inside seven seconds.
France never recovered from that early setback, with Kai Havertz doubling the lead in the second half as Germany defeated France for the second time in six months. Returning to winning ways here will be the main objective for Deschamps’s troops, who remain favourites for Euro 2024 after cruising to qualification with 22 points from a possible 24.
Chile, meanwhile, are coming off a breezing 3-0 win over Albania on Thursday, which brought a huge sigh of relief as it snapped a three-game winless run, where they lost twice and drew once. The visitors are facing the very real possibility of missing out on a third consecutive finals following a shaky start to qualification.
Eduardo Berizzo was fired after gaining only five points in their first five qualifiers, and they also lost in Ecuador under interim manager Nicolas Cordova. Fellow Argentine Ricardo Gareca has taken over, and he will be looking to build on a positive great start on Friday, when Chile defeated in-form Albania 3-0.
Team News & Tactics
France
Antoine Griezmann was a late withdrawal from the team after suffering a recurrence of a prior injury. Kingsley Coman and Boubacar Kamara are both out due to long-term injuries, while Khephren Thuram has been demoted to the Under-21 squad.
There are likely to be many changes to the France lineup after Didier Deschamps experimented with the personnel against Germany. But Kylian Mbappe may be one of the few players to retain his spot.
Brice Samba performed superbly in between the sticks for Les Bleus, keeping the score respectable. But AC Milan’s Mike Maignan is expected to return here. The entire back four could be shuffled, with the centre-back pairing of Dayot Upamecano and Benjamin Pavard set to make way for William Saliba and Ibrahima Konate, flanked by Theo Hernandez and Jonathan Clauss.
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery could keep his place in midfield alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga. Olivier Giroud is still in fantastic form for Milan and might come into the team here, with his importance to the French setup still valuable.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Maignan; Clauss, Saliba, Konate, Theo Hernandez; Zaire-Emery, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Kolo Muani, Giroud, Mbappe
Chile
Chile are having to cope without the services of Guillermo Maripan, Erick Pulgar, Diego Valdes, Carlos Palacios and Javier Altamirano as they all remain sidelined with injuries. Experienced quartet Claudio Bravo, Mauricio Isla, Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas are four of nine Chile players to have earned over 100 caps for the national team, and they are all set to feature on Friday.
Inter Milan forward Sanchez is La Roja’s all-time leading scorer with 51 goals, and the 35-year-old could become the all-time record cap holder for the Chile national team if he appears in this encounter (162 caps), surpassing Gary Medel, whose record he tied last Friday.
He will joined in attack by Vargas and Sheffield United loanee Ben Brereton Diaz, who is seeking to end his eight-game goal drought on the international stage despite Victor Davila’s fine performance against Albania. Dario Osorio will complete the front four.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Bravo; Isla, Diaz, Lichnovsky, Suazo; Echeverria, Nunez; Osorio, Alexis, Davila; Vargas
Key Stats
- France and Chile have only met five times in their histories, with the first meeting arriving at the first-ever World Cup in 1930.
- Six of the last seven friendlies involving France have produced over 2.5 goals.
- Chile have scored at least three goals in four of their last five friendlies
- France have been deadly in front of goal, scoring 34 goals in their last 11 matches across all competitions, including putting 14 past Gibraltar and four past Scotland.
Player to Watch
Kylian Mbappe
There are widespread reports that the France international’s next destination will be Spanish giants Real Madrid with it just a matter of time before they announce his signing. While that remains a moot point, Mbappe has been super crucial to France’s success under Didier Deschamps.
Only Olivier Giroud (56 in 130) and Thierry Henry (51 in 123) have scored more goals for the French national team than Kylian Mbappe (46 in 76), so he will be eager to close in on that number.
Prediction
France 2-0 Chile
With a strong defensive setup and a penchant for quick counter-attacks, Chile will be looking to catch France off guard and take advantage of any openings.
While Chile have struggled for results in recent months, their hosts are always a force to be reckoned with on home soil. So, it would be a huge surprise if this one turns out in anything other than a comfortable France victory.
