Rabiot, Doué and Koundé sidelined before Senegal
While they are expected to start the match against Senegal on Tuesday, for the first match of the France team, Adrien Rabiot, Désiré Doué and Jules Koundé have clearly not convinced the supporters of the France team.
It’s the big day for the France team. Finalists of the last edition in Qatar, the Blues are launching their 2026 World Cup against Senegal on Tuesday at 9 p.m. A complicated first match for which Didier Deschamps should field the same team as in the last preparation match against Northern Ireland.
While Mike Maignan will obviously officiate in goal, William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano should make up the central hinge, flanked by Jules Koundé and Théo Hernandez in the corridors. In midfield, Adrien Rabiot and Aurélien Tchouameni should start and in attack, the French coach should align Michael Olise and Désiré Doué on the sides, Ousmane Dembélé in a central playmaker position and Kylian Mbappé up front.
However, this composition does not seem to convince the supporters of the Blues. This is evidenced by the consultation launched on the Lequipe.fr website. If Mike Maignan is untouchable among the goalkeepers and if William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano are also popular, the French would prefer to see Lucas Digne and Malo Gusto occupy the corridors, the former Lille player even winning 72% of the votes against barely 28 for Théo Hernandez.
Olise rather than Dembélé in the axis
In the midfield, if Aurélien Tchouameni has the confidence of the French supporters, Adrien Rabiot on the other hand sees himself preferring N’Golo Kanté. Finally at the forefront, it is Désiré Doué who falls by the wayside. On the left side, the supporters do not hesitate to prefer Rayan Cherki, who is narrowly ahead of Kylian Mbappé and the Parisian winger.
Michael Olise is popular, whether on the right side or in the center, Ousmane Dembélé being more expected in the right lane than in the playmaker position. As for Kylian Mbappé, if some imagine him on the left side, he collects 56% of the votes at the forefront.
The composition desired by the supporters:
Maignan – Gusto, Saliba, Upamecano, Digne – Tchouameni, Kante – Dembélé, Olise, Cherki – Mbappé
