Mbappe's admiration for legend: "I can't imagine World Cup without Neymar"

When one mentions clashes between Brazil and France, everyone probably instantly thinks of and most vividly remembers their two World Cup duels, and Les Blues' two wins - 3-0 in the 1998 final and 1-0 in the 2006 quarter-final.

Still, since that epic match from two decades ago, decided by Thierry Henry's winner and Zinedine Zidane's world-class performance, the two football giants met three times in friendly duels in 2011, 2013, and 2015.

Brazil triumphed twice and lost once, and tonight the French will have a chance to tie the record in recent matches.

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Ahead of the friendly game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA, France captain Kylian Mbappe spoke to the Brazilian ge.globo, and revealed several interesting things.

When asked whether this Selecao team is Vinicius Jr's or Neymar's, the former teammate of both couldn't make up his mind, though he praised the latter and expressed hope he'd feature in the upcoming World Cup.

"What a question (laughs)! I believe it could be both. Vini now needs to take another step in the national team, but Neymar is Neymar. Neymar is a fantastic player. The World Cup is the competition of stars. All the stars are here, and in my book Neymar is one of the biggest stars."

"I can't imagine the World Cup without Neymar. But in the end, I can't go against my former coach, Ancelotti. I have to respect his decision."

"For me, Neymar is a player who makes a big difference. I played with him, I learned a lot from him. It's a matter of seeing how he is. But I know Neymar, he'll get ready, he'll be there, I know him (laughs)," Mbappe said.

When Brazilian journalists stated that Didier Deschamps' team is the favourite in tonight's blockbuster game, the French forward responded with a denial, showing great respect for the Selecao.

"You can never be the favorite against a team that has five stars on its jersey. Impossible. Brazil is the greatest footballing nation. Five stars on the jersey, five World Cups are history."

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"For us, it's an opportunity to play against Brazil, to show our quality, what we are capable of doing, and to prepare ourselves to win the World Cup this summer," he said.

Mbappe confirmed the statement that there is no friendship on the field when Brazil and France clash. However, the situation off the pitch is a whole other story.

"You're right (laughs), because they are two great teams and at the end (of the game) we'll talk a lot in the locker room about who wins. They are rivals, but there is a lot of respect."

"They are great games, they are friends. Only on the field are there no friends, but after the game we are all friends and we will laugh at our friends," the 27-year-old remarked.

Finally, the reporters wanted to know whether we would ever see Mbappe in the South American version of the Champions League - Copa Libertadores.

"Who knows? We never know what's going to happen. I'll ask Vini if ​​he'll let me go watch a Flamengo game in the Copa Libertadores," Kylian said, smiling.

The match in North America (23.00) will be the jubilee tenth between Brazil and France. Les Blues won five, the Selecao triumphed three times, while one game ended in a draw.