{"id":1455464,"date":"2026-06-07T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1455464"},"modified":"2026-06-06T23:49:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T22:49:38","slug":"world-cup-comparison-matrix-analysis-france-forwards","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-comparison-matrix-analysis-france-forwards\/","title":{"rendered":"France World Cup analysis: Who should start in Les Bleus&#8217; forward line?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/world-cup\/france-world-cup-2026-fixtures-players-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">France<\/a> manager Didier Deschamps has a wonderful problem at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/world-cup-2026-betting-tips-predictions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">World Cup<\/a> this summer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Les Bleus<\/em> have a plethora of attacking talent in their World Cup squad and it&#8217;s up to Deschamps to decide how to fit them all in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It may feel like there are obvious options, but it will be hard to settle on a guaranteed attacking lineup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, who are the best forwards for France at the World Cup? We used our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/comparison-matrix\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Comparison Matrix<\/a> to assess the options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Who should start in France&#8217;s attack?<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-striker\" data-level=\"3\">Striker<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-wingers\" data-level=\"3\">Wingers<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-no-10\" data-level=\"3\">No.10<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-striker\">Striker<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It feels like there is an obvious choice here. But decisions elsewhere could also influence who leads the line for France. Again, such is the attacking talent France have in their squad. But based on the possibilities, Kylian Mbappe, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Marcus Thuram are the most-viable canditates as striker.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class='vccm vccm-compare'data-compare=\"zwk2DH7kZQSXOlKFo2Dxh\" data-show-sponsor=\"false\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s no surprise to see Mbappe dominate a lot of the key striker metrics. But he doesn&#8217;t have it all his own way. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/real-madrid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Real Madrid<\/a> striker does average the most shots and shots on target per 90 minutes when looking at the 2025-26 league season. He averaged 3.9 shots per 90 (excluding blocks) with 2.2 hitting the target. Thuram hit the target with 1.4 of his 2.7 shots per 90, while Mateta&#8217;s 2.3 efforts resulting in 1.3 on target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mbappe led for goals too at a very impressive 0.9 per 90, despite his perceived struggles at Real Madrid, ahead of Thuram&#8217;s 0.7 and Mateta&#8217;s 0.5. But Mateta did have the best conversion rate, scoring with 19.05% of his shots in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Premier League<\/a>. Thuram again came in second with 17.57%, while Mbappe had to settle for bottom &#8212; still with a respetable 17.12%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mbappe was also the most creative of the strikers, although that was aided by his role at Real Madrid. He created 2.3 chances per 90 in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/la-liga-predictions-25-26\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">La Liga<\/a>, more than both Thuram and Mateta combined. But Thuram did average more assists. Thuram also won more fouls per 90 and put up a recent number of touches in the opposition box at 7.9. Of course, Mbappe won that one too with 9.4 touches in the opposition box per 90.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2>SpreadEx Sign-Up Offer:\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n<p>SpreadEx are offering new customers the chance to get \u00a360 in free bets when they join and place \u00a310 in qualifying bets.<\/p>\r\n<p>To claim this offer, follow these steps:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Create your account by clicking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/go\/spreadex?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this link<\/a> or the image below.<\/li>\r\n<li>Register for your account by adding your details. It only takes a few minutes.<\/li>\r\n<li>Make your first deposit then place a \u00a310 single or \u00a310 each-way fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1\/2<\/li>\r\n<li>Get 3 x \u00a310 free fixed odds bets, 3 x \u00a35 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x \u00a35 Winning Favourites spread bets on consecutive days and a \u00a31 racing Race Index spread bet<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1393518\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-1024x523.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-1024x523.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-768x392.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-400x204.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-392x200.png 392w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-118x60.png 118w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-150x77.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-40x20.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86.png 1338w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"bookmaker-review\">\r\n<div class=\"bookmaker-review__bet\">\r\n<div class=\"warning\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Spread betting losses can exceed deposit. 18+ www.gambleaware.org. Place a \u00a310 fixed odds single or \u00a310 each-way bet at minimum odds of 1\/2 and get 3 x \u00a310 free fixed odds bets, 3 x \u00a35 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x \u00a35 Winning Favourites spread bets and a \u00a31 racing Race Index spread bet. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n<hr \/><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-wingers\">Wingers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where the big questions will lie. Especially as Mbappe and Thuram can both play on the wing, and may do at times. But we won&#8217;t consider them for this specific comparison. The main options are Ousmane Dembele (who can also lead the line), Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class='vccm vccm-compare'data-compare=\"QWAcShhM9Sxt7Nbev-dNy\" data-show-sponsor=\"false\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, Dembele did play mostly as a striker for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/paris-saint-germain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Paris Saint-Germain<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/ligue-1-predictions-betting-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ligue 1<\/a> in 2025-26. So some of his numbers are impacted by that. But he has a similar impact on the wings. Dembele scored 0.9 goals per 90 in Ligue 1 last season, the best of this attacking bunch. But the others certainly held their own. Both Olise and Barcola averaged 0.6 goals per 90, while Doue wasn&#8217;t far behind on 0.5. And Olise was the most dangerous with 2.0 shots on target per 90.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Olise was all about the creativity. He was the only player in Europe\u2019s top five leagues to both score and assist 15+ goals in 2025-26. His assist numbers worked out to 0.8 per 90, ahead of Dembele&#8217;s per 90. But Dembele did create more chances, with 3.5 per 90 to Olise&#8217;s 3.1. Both Barcola and Doue struggled to reach those numbers, but that&#8217;s because they had to contend with Dembele in club football &#8212; not to mention Khvicha Kvaratskehlia too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Olise also posed a bigger threat to opposition defences when dribbling. He completed 2.6 take-ons per 90 and won 2.3 fouls, proving there was only one way to stop him. However, Dembele did have the better take-on success rate, completing 61.54% of his attempts. All four will no doubt start games across the World Cup, and can do damage when coming off the bench in other matches. It&#8217;s scary for opponents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-no-10\">No.10<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, there are players in the above comparisons who can also play in the No.10, should Deschamps stick with his favoured 4-2-3-1. And both Rayan Cherki and Maghnes Akliouche can play on the wing. But this feels like the main battle for the No.10 role.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class='vccm vccm-compare'data-compare=\"ZlyNxAROWQ3CwM0TZ6jaZ\" data-show-sponsor=\"false\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It took him some time, but Cherki really found his feet in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/manchester-city\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Manchester City<\/a>&#8216;s team in 2025-26. And Akliouche had a strong season in Ligue 1. Cherki was wonderful, though. He leads a lot of the key No.10 metrics in this matchup, especially creatively. The Man City man created 3.1 chances per 90 in the Premier League, which resulted in 0.7 assists. In totals, only Bruno Fernandes (21) provided more assists in the Premier League than Cherki in 2025-26. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Akliouche wasn&#8217;t too far off the top with his assist numbers. Although nine players provided more assists than Akliouche&#8217;s six in Ligue 1 in 2025-26, the top two only provided nine. So it was a close battle. His assists came from 1.7 chances created per 90, so those numbers were slightly lower than Cherki. But Akliouche did slightly edge Cherki for his 0.8 shots per 90, to the Man City man&#8217;s 0.7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall on creativity, though, Cherki comes out on top. He made more through-balls per 90 (1.5) and had a slightly better passing accuracy, completing 86.45% of his attempts. Cherki also completed an impressive 2.6 take-ons per 90, and won 1.8 fouls. He was incredibly tough to stop in that No.10 role for Man City. He&#8217;ll likely be the starter, but Akliouche provides a good rotational option.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/world-cup-2026-betting-tips-predictions\/\"><strong>World Cup predictions &amp; tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/world-cup-outright-odds\/\"><strong>World Cup outright odds <\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/world-cup-2026-fixtures-results\/\"><b>World Cup fixtures &amp; results<\/b><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/world-cup-2026-betting-offers\/\"><b>World Cup free bets<\/b><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>France manager Didier Deschamps has a wonderful problem at the World Cup this summer. Les Bleus have a plethora of attacking talent in their World Cup squad and it&#8217;s up to Deschamps to decide how to fit them all in. It may feel like there are obvious options, but it will be hard to settle&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":1455469,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"france world cup forwards","_yoast_wpseo_title":"France World Cup forwards: Who should start for Les Bleus? %%page%% %%sep%% %%sitename%%","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"France have a plethora of talent in their forward line at the World Cup. But who should be their starting World Cup forwards this summer?","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"class_list":["post-1455464","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>France World Cup forwards: Who should start for Les Bleus? | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"France have a plethora of talent in their forward line at the World Cup. But who should be their starting World Cup forwards this summer?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-comparison-matrix-analysis-france-forwards\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"France World Cup analysis: Who should start in Les Bleus&#039; forward line?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"France have a plethora of talent in their forward line at the World Cup. But who should be their starting World Cup forwards this summer?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-comparison-matrix-analysis-france-forwards\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/06184341\/OusmaneDembele06062026_ID3E4AW38RayanCherki06062026_ID3EM39P4KylianMbappe06062026_ID3EM1PGH-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-comparison-matrix-analysis-france-forwards\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-comparison-matrix-analysis-france-forwards\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Harry Edwards\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/4e62e4b7416dff4a81adf12d6340823d\"},\"headline\":\"France World Cup analysis: Who should start in Les Bleus&#8217; forward line?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-07T12:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-comparison-matrix-analysis-france-forwards\/\"},\"wordCount\":925,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-comparison-matrix-analysis-france-forwards\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/06184341\/OusmaneDembele06062026_ID3E4AW38RayanCherki06062026_ID3EM39P4KylianMbappe06062026_ID3EM1PGH-scaled.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-comparison-matrix-analysis-france-forwards\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-comparison-matrix-analysis-france-forwards\/\",\"name\":\"France World Cup forwards: Who should start for Les Bleus? | Squawka | EN\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-comparison-matrix-analysis-france-forwards\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-comparison-matrix-analysis-france-forwards\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/06184341\/OusmaneDembele06062026_ID3E4AW38RayanCherki06062026_ID3EM39P4KylianMbappe06062026_ID3EM1PGH-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-07T12:00:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"France have a plethora of talent in their forward line at the World Cup. 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