France host Belgium at Parc Olympique Lyonnais for their second 2024 UEFA Nations League fixture of the new season. Despite Les Bleus’s defeat at home to Italy during the Group 2 opening matchday, it’s been reported that Kylian Mbappe won’t be in the starting lineup for today’s game.
According to a report from Loïc Tanzi of L’Equipe, Real Madrid’s new forward will sit out France’s second and final match of the international break. Mbappe has not suffered any injuries, and the decision to not put him in the lineup has more to do with Didier Deschamps’ strategy.
After their 1-3 defeat against Italy, Deschamps said in a press conference that he wouldn’t change his tactical plans. “I believe that the six Nations League matches should be used to incorporate new players and distribute playing time,” he explained on Sunday.
“I’m not going to change course. I accept it, even if it could have consequences on the result. If we had a different schedule, with qualifiers for the World Cup, I wouldn’t have chosen this course, that’s for sure,” he added.
Mbappe played the full 90 minutes against Italy but struggled to make a notable impact on the game. However, he isn’t expected to be the only player rested for the game against Belgium.
Changes expected in France against Belgium
According to the same report, Jonathan Clauss and Theo Hernandez should give way to Jules Koundé and Lucas Digne. Meanwhile, Manu Koné, Randal Kolo Muani and Michael Olise could all be part of the lineup against Belgium.
Domenico Tedesco’s side are coming from defeating Israel 3-1 on Matchday 1 of the competition. The result put them tied with Italy at the top of the table of Group 2 of League A, and they’re looking to extend their advantage.
Under UEFA’s new format for 2024-25, the team finishing last in each League A group will be automatically relegated, while third-placed teams must compete in a relegation playoff.
Only the top two teams in Group 2 will advance to the new quarter-final stage, leaving France three points behind their main rivals and unable to afford any further setbacks.