Doué set for major role

Didier Deschamps is expected to make at least one significant change to his France team for the World Cup quarter-final against Morocco.

According to L’Équipe’s report on France’s probable lineup, Désiré Doué is set to start on the left side of the attack in place of Bradley Barcola.

It would be a major opportunity for the young forward in one of France’s biggest matches of the tournament so far.

Doué impressed after coming on against Paraguay in the round of 16, where he helped change the rhythm of France’s attack and won the decisive penalty converted by Kylian Mbappé.

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Now, barring a late surprise, he is expected to be rewarded with a starting place.

Tchouaméni still not ready

France will not have Aurélien Tchouaméni from the start.

The Real Madrid midfielder has been struggling with a thigh issue and, although he took part in part of Wednesday’s training session, he is still not expected to be fit enough to begin the match.

Deschamps gave only a brief update on his condition, saying that Tchouaméni was “better.”

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But that improvement does not appear to be enough for a place in the starting XI.

The expected France lineup is: Mike Maignan, Jules Koundé, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Lucas Digne, Manu Koné, Adrien Rabiot, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué and Kylian Mbappé.

Deschamps rejects revenge angle

The match naturally brings back memories of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, when France beat Morocco 2-0 in Qatar.

But Deschamps has no interest in framing the quarter-final as a revenge match for Morocco.

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“It is not revenge, that means nothing in football,” Deschamps said.

The France coach instead focused on the quality of the opponent and the demands of the occasion.

Described by The Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson, Deschamps also warned that France must be sharp against a Morocco side that has already shown its strength in the tournament.

“This Morocco is of very high quality,” he said. “The level rises as you climb the mountain.”

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Referee question brushed aside

There has also been attention on the decision to appoint an Argentinian refereeing team for the match.

Given France’s recent World Cup history with Argentina, the appointment has attracted discussion, but Deschamps refused to turn it into a controversy.

“We have to deal with it,” he said. “I trust the referees. Our opponent is Morocco, not the referee.”

He also added a pointed line about the officiating debate.

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“I hope the Argentinian referees will be as good as Monsieur Letexier,” Deschamps said.

France chase another semi-final

France reached the quarter-finals by beating Paraguay 1-0, but the performance was more tense than dominant.

That is why the expected introduction of Doué feels important. France have enough attacking quality, but Deschamps appears to want more movement, more unpredictability and more balance around Mbappé.

Morocco, meanwhile, will see the match as another chance to make history after their semi-final run in 2022.

France remain favourites, but Deschamps knows the margin is getting smaller.

At this stage of the World Cup, reputation matters less than execution.