As mighty as Les Bleus' attack! Deschamps' France is ready to conquer the world

No matter what lineup France puts out, it’s a team that strikes fear into opponents. Very few national teams in world football have such depth and quality as Les Bleus. Didier Deschamps can practically pick any player, and that player will look outstanding on the pitch. That’s how strong they are—and why they are among the main favorites to win the World Cup. France will play two friendly matches during the upcoming international break: first against Brazil national football team on March 26, and then three days later against Colombia national football team.

Michael Olise shines, Florentino Perez reacts

For these matches, Deschamps has called up 26 players. The coach hasn’t experimented much—there are no major surprises or debutants, mostly proven players—but the squad still looks frightening. The only change in defense is that Jules Kounde is out due to injury, and Pierre Kalulu takes his place. It’s surprising that such a quality player like the Juventus full-back has only one cap for the national team, which just shows how strong France really is. In midfield, Khephren Thuram is missing due to an ankle injury, and it’s unclear when he’ll return.

Up front, it’s enough to give you chills. Missing from the previous squad are Bradley Barcola, Christopher Nkunku, Florian Thauvin, and Jean-Philippe Mateta. But when you see names like Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Michael Olise, you have to wonder—does any national team have a more powerful attacking trio? You can only hope they have an off day, otherwise they could easily score three goals. Meanwhile, the defense featuring William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano is rock solid. The only slight concern at the back is Theo Hernandez, but the current world runners-up have been coping with that for years and will likely manage again.

Squad list:

Goalkeepers:

Mike Maignan, Lucas Chevalier, Brice Samba

Defenders:

Lucas Digne, Malo Gusto, Lucas Hernández, Theo Hernández, Pierre Kalulu, Ibrahima Konaté, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano

Midfielders:

Eduardo Camavinga, N'Golo Kante, Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouaméni, Warren Zaire-Emery

Forwards:

Maghnes Akliouche, Rayan Cherki, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Hugo Ekitike, Randal Kolo Muani, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Marcus Thuram