Lisbon (AFP)

Parisian striker Kylian Mbappé, injured in a thigh for several days, is forfeited with the Blues for the League of Nations clash against Portugal on Saturday (8:45 p.m.) in Lisbon, according to the list sent to UEFA.

The name of the 2018 world champion does not appear in the list of 23 players selected by Didier Deschamps and published by UEFA a few hours before the match, as does the fourth goalkeeper in the French group Benoît Costil.

Asked by AFP, the management of the France team did not confirm or deny the package of Mbappé.

At the start of the rally on Monday, the 21-year-old arrived recovering due to a muscle injury he contracted with Paris SG.

His concern in a thigh had also prevented him from playing last weekend in the league against Rennes.

Mbappé was unable to fully participate in the last collective training on Friday, two days after having overlooked the friendly match lost 2-0 against Finland at the Stade de France.

"He will do the first part of the training apart because he has a specific job. Like other players, we will see later. I will wait for training and a point will be made tomorrow (Saturday) morning for see how they are, before making a decision for the evening game, "coach Didier Deschamps said before the session.

On the other hand, all the other players of the France team appear in this list of 23 players, including Benjamin Pavard, Corentin Tolisso, Presnel Kimpembe and Lucas Hernandez, all preserved Wednesday against Finland for various physical glitches.

As for Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo is there but not Renato Sanches, also absent from the list sent to UEFA.

The Lusitanian Federation confirmed the Lille midfielder's package on its website, saying examinations had revealed a "muscle injury" which will also cause him to miss the trip to Croatia on Tuesday.

A month after their draw (0-0) in Saint-Denis, France and Portugal face each other in a "final" of their group in the League of Nations.

The winner, if there is one, will advance to the final phase of the competition scheduled for October 2021.

© 2020 AFP