Rabiot's return, Camavinga's beginnings, health protocol: what to expect from Sweden-France?

After ten months of forced break due to the coronavirus epidemic, it is time to resume for the players of the France team.

The Blues begin their League of Nations campaign in Sweden this Saturday, at 8:45 p.m., behind closed doors.

The match, which is being held in a context disrupted by the health crisis, will perhaps be an opportunity for the young prodigy Camavinga to make his debut, and for Adrien Rabiot to make his comeback. 

Contaminated players, behind closed doors, lack of rhythm: funny recovery

For the Blues, it's an eternity that has passed between their last match in Albania, in November 2019, and this resumption.

The ambition is therefore to "get the machine going", as coach Didier Deschamps said.

But the French coach and his players arrive "in a particular context", he also warned.

First of all, the match will take place in Stockholm in an empty stadium, due to restrictions due to the health crisis.

In addition, the France team is faced with a great "disparity" in physical level between internationals who have resumed in club, and those who are waiting to start their season.

Captain Hugo Lloris, for example, is in the second category, he who has not yet played any official match this season with Tottenham.

The same goes for Olivier Giroud, in the recovery phase after having been on coal from the end of June to the beginning of August with Chelsea.

"For my part, I had a short week of training before coming here, I am still in preparation, this is the first time that this has happened to us", explained Thursday the striker of almost 34 years in a video broadcast by the FFF.

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The Covid-19 pandemic also continues to singularly complicate the recovery.

The contamination of several players of the France team has further darkened this back to school, nine months from Euro-2020 postponed for a year.

After Paul Pogba, forfeit just before the announcement of the list, the young Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar had to give up his first invitation to Clairefontaine, also after a positive test for the new coronavirus.

Thursday evening, the name of Steve Mandanda was added in extremis to this blacklist, depriving the goalkeeper N.2 of the Blues of the trip to Sweden and the reception of Croatia, Tuesday at the Stade de France for the second edition of the League of Nations.

Unable to replace the Marseillais, Didier Deschamps will have to deal with the only Mike Maignan in Lloris' lining for the match at Solna. 

The big premiere of Camavinga? 

The spotlight will no doubt be on him.

At 17, Eduardo Camavinga could become the youngest player in the French team since the post-war period.

In the meantime, the Rennais, called in as reinforcements after Pogba's withdrawal, conquered his new teammates in the selection, seduced by the freshness and "maturity" of the pledge.

"Through my work, it happened early. But you should not take the lead too much, live from day to day and enjoy every moment", relativized the young nugget of Stade Rennes, suffused with "joy, pride and honor".

But Camavinga won't be the only one new to, perhaps donning the blue jersey for the first time.

Didier Deschamps also called on the defender of Leipzig Dayot Upamecano, particularly in sight during the final tournament of the Champions League.

Rabiot's unexpected return

Another Blue will be scrutinized, but not for a record to beat or a first selection to honor: Adrien Rabiot, the midfielder of Juventus, who has not been seen in the tricolor jersey since his refusal to be a reserve at the World Cup - 2018.

Rabiot "has returned to a very, very good level with his club. It happened what happened, we can not go back, neither us nor him", commented Deschamps at a press conference. 

Rabiot's sixth and last selection dates back to March 2018. And the former Parisian knows he has things to prove.

"There was not a match where I was really good in Blue", but since "I have lived a lot of things in my life, not always very easy to live, it made me grow" , explained the 25-year-old.

Apologies, on the other hand, he will not give any since, according to him, "there has never been an affront to the coach or aggression".

His wish now?

"To be able to show myself, to assert myself in this team".