France vs Croatia team news and predicted lineups
France hosts Croatia at Stade de France in the second leg of their UEFA Nations League quarter-final on Sunday, March 23rd.
The visitors have the advantage after winning 2-0 on Thursday, with Ante Budimir and Ivan Perišić scoring. The game kicks off at 7:45 pm (UK time), but a UK broadcaster is yet to be confirmed.
France vs Croatia predicted lineups
France (4-3-3): Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Koné, Tchouaméni, Rabiot; Dembélé, Mbappé, Barcola
Croatia (4-3-2-1): Livaković; Stanišić, Šutalo, Ćaleta-Car, Gvardiol; Kovačić, Modrić; Perišić, Baturina, Kramarić; Budimir
France vs Croatia team news
On Thursday, France and Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konaté played arguably his worst 45 minutes of the season. He conceded a penalty that Kramarić failed to convert, and then he had to be substituted after what the official French national team account on X (formerly Twitter) reported as an injury.
However, head coach Didier Deschamps later clarified that Konaté was substituted due to his disappointing performance, indicating that he should be fit to play on Sunday, though Dayot Upamecano is expected to take his place in the starting eleven.
Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembélé may have done enough to secure a central role in France’s attack, but Deschamps will likely consider promoting either or both Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola to France’s lineup for the second leg.
Croatia came away from the first leg without any new concerns, though they did lose Real Sociedad midfielder Luka Sučić to injury prior to Thursday’s victory.
With an otherwise fully fit squad, coach Zlatko Dalić may be tempted to replace an attacker with an additional defender, given the circumstances. This could potentially mean dropping Borna Sosa if he decides to implement a wing-back system.
In such a case, Martin Baturina might be the one to make way. However, Luka Modrić and Mateo Kovačić are expected to continue their long-standing partnership in Croatia’s midfield.
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Can Mbappé inspire Les Bleus once again?
It wasn’t the return Kylian Mbappé wanted as France suffered a 2-0 loss at Stadion Poljud, with the Real Madrid marksman registering six shots in the match without converting any.
Mbappé, who has scored 20 La Liga goals in his debut season for Real Madrid, made his return to the French side after a six-month absence. He previously faced Croatia on two occasions before netting twice, including in the 2018 World Cup final.
However, the Parisian’s recent international form leaves a lot to be desired. Across nine previous outings, he has registered one goal—in a 1-1 draw with Poland at Euro 2024.
This will be another opportunity for him to inspire France, just as he did with Real Madrid in their current Champions League campaign, notably a hat-trick against Manchester City in their knockout-phase play-off second leg at home.
