Turin (Italy) (AFP)

The brothers Lucas and Théo Hernandez were established by Didier Deschamps to face Belgium in the semifinals of the League of Nations, Thursday (8:45 p.m.) in Turin, in a French defense without Presnel Kimpembe but with Jules Koundé, according to the official compositions.

Two brothers had not shared a selection for the French team since March 23, 1974, during a friendly match against Romania (1-0) in which attackers Hervé and Patrick Revelli had participated, appeared together on the lawn for 25 minutes.

The day after his 24th birthday, Théo Hernandez offered himself a second selection on the left flank of the Blues, after his convincing participation in the 2-0 victory against Finland in early September in Lyon.

Injured and forfeited at the start of the school year, his brother Lucas (25) is back for the "Final 4" of the League of Nations.

Usual left side of the Blues, this time he is repositioned among the axial defenders, his training position.

Didier Deschamps has indeed opted for a system with three central defenders, as against Finland, appointing Raphaël Varane and Jules Koundé to accompany the Bayern Munich player in the rearguard.

Excluded in early September after a dangerous tackle against Bosnia (1-1), Koundé regains the confidence of the coach, who aligns him for the first time as a central defender after three inconclusive selections as a right-back.

Kimpembe bears the brunt of these choices and therefore starts on the bench, while Benjamin Pavard, also back from injury, occupies the right flank.

Deschamps trusts his offensive "golden triangle", with Antoine Griezmann tenured in support of Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema.

Since the return to the selection of the latter, the trio has been established eight times out of eight when the three players were available.

Mbappé celebrates in passing his 50th selection at 22 years old, a record of precocity among the Blues.

In the midfield, in the absence of N'Golo Kanté, affected by the Covid-19, Paul Pogba and the Turinese Adrien Rabiot are aligned, in a Juventus stadium where only less than 15,000 spectators are expected, on a gauge set at 20,000 places.

Roberto Martinez's Belgium, deprived of Thomas Meunier and Thorgan Hazard, offers a similar system of play, with its attacking trio made up of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.

Handicapped this week by muscle problems, the Lyonnais Jason Denayer is well established.

Lucas Hernandez celebrates the opening scoring of the Blues against Germany with a goal against his camp of Mats Hummels during the last Euro in Munich, June 15, 2021 Matthias Schrader POOL / AFP / Archives

The winner of the meeting will face Spain on Sunday in Milan, in the final of the 2nd edition of this event in which Portugal is the defending champion, and launched to reinject the stakes in the autumn matches.

The teams:

Belgium: Courtois - Alderweireld, Denayer, Vertonghen - Castagne, Witsel, Tielemans, Carrasco - De Bruyne, E. Hazard (cap) - Lukaku

Coach: Roberto Martinez (ESP)

France: Lloris (cap) - Koundé, Varane, L. Hernandez - Pavard, Pogba, Rabiot, T. Hernandez - Griezmann - Benzema, Mbappé

Coach: Didier Deschamps

Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)

© 2021 AFP