France and Senegal named for Cup opener; see line-ups

France and Senegal named for Cup opener; see line-ups

France and Senegal face off this Tuesday at 4 p.m. at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, reliving one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.

The clash opens Group I, which also includes Iraq and Norway.

For France, the match marks the beginning of coach Didier Deschamps’ "Last Dance," as he has already announced he will step down after the World Cup, having won the title in 2018 and finished runner-up in 2022.

For Senegal, the key word is inspiration. The country is trying to repeat the historic feat of the 2002 World Cup, when it made its debut against a powerful France side (then world champion, with Deschamps as a player) and stunned the planet with a 1-0 win, going all the way to the quarterfinals.

Under Pape Thiaw, the African Lions want to prove that lightning can, indeed, strike twice in the same place.

Lineups

🇫🇷 France (Coach: Didier Deschamps)

Deschamps repeated the setup tested in the last friendly against Northern Ireland.

Mbappé plays further forward, with Dembélé centrally positioned as the playmaker, flanked by Olise and Doué.

🇸🇳 Senegal (Coach: Pape Thiaw)

The big news for the Senegalese is the return of stalwart Koulibaly, fully recovered from a muscle injury suffered in April.

Up front, the responsibility and the captain’s armband fall to star Sadio Mané.

Match Facts

📍 Venue: MetLife Stadium (New Jersey, USA)

⏰ Time: 4 p.m. (Brasília time)

🟨 Refereeing: Alireza Faghani (Main Referee - AUS), George Lakrindis and Andrew Lindsay (Assistants - AUS), Sandro Schaerer (Fourth Official - SUI).

📺 Where to Watch: TV Globo, sportv, ge tv, SBT, NSports and Cazé TV.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.