Les Bleus in Sweden -

SIPA

Barely returned from Sweden, the Blues are back at the Stade de France on Tuesday for a reunion with Croatia, two years after the 2018 World Cup final, distorted by the closed door, the absences and the turnover imposed by the hellish pace of the recovery.

Three days after its uninspiring victory at Solna (1-0), the France team is advancing towards the first big shock of its League of Nations group (8:45 p.m.), facing the vice-world champions dominated 4-2 in July 2018 in Moscow.

This meeting should have been synonymous with revenge, spectacle and celebration two years after the coronation in Russia, it will not be: the health crisis has excluded all spectators from the stadiums and the fearful silence of the closed door reigns on football Europe.

"We do not take this match as a revenge," insisted captain Hugo Lloris, also admitting that without an audience, "there is still a lack of adrenaline."

The coronavirus pandemic has also exhausted the organizations of players who finished their championships in July or the Champions League in August, upsetting the very model of the summer truce as we had known it until then.

The finding is undoubtedly even more true for the Croats, deprived of their aging but irreplaceable midfielder duo Luka Modric-Ivan Rakitic, left to rest by the coach Zlatko Dalic.

Totally overwhelmed on Saturday night in Portugal for their entry into the running in this competition which replaces the traditional autumn friendly matches (4-1), the World Cup finalists are struggling.

" No choice "

The French are less to be pitied, despite a very dull performance in Sweden, only lit by a beautiful inspiration from Kylian Mbappé and the incessant activity of N'Golo Kanté.

But their lack of breath and legs forced coach Didier Deschamps to spare the body.

"I will have to make a lot of changes," said the Basque on Monday.

“It may go against cohesion and automatisms but I think I have no choice,” he had already noted on Saturday.

It therefore seems uncertain to see Mbappé, victim of a further blow to his right ankle barely recovered from a big sprain, follow up a second tenure in a row on Tuesday.

Especially since the Parisian is expected in Lens from Thursday evening for the return to Ligue 1 of Paris SG, deprived of six players contaminated by Covid-19, including the superstar Neymar.

But "it is not my calendar", evacuated Deschamps, specifying that "Kyky", like his partner Presnel Kimpembe besides, were "available".

If they are there, they may find the Croatian defender from Marseille, Duje Caleta-Car, whom he will meet at the club on Sunday for the “Classic” of the French championship.

Camavinga, a first?

Deschamps' promises of rotation open in any case some doors in the eleven tricolor.

Anthony Martial, who came into play in attack at Solna after more than two years of absence in the selection, has the opportunity to show himself a little more, as does Real Madrid side Ferland Mendy if Lucas Digne is put to rest, or Lucas Hernandez, little used lately at Bayern Munich.

But one name crystallizes all the attention: that of Eduardo Camavinga.

The 17-year-and-9-month-old Rennes midfielder did not have the honor of playing his first minutes on Saturday, but he does not despair of becoming the first post-war player to don the blue jersey before he comes of age.

"I have no objection to his having playing time, he is there," Deschamps slipped on Monday.

"That he could know his first selection would be good for him".

It will be necessary to dislodge from the eleven either Adrien Rabiot, holder in Sweden with the Blues for the first time since his refusal to be a reservist at the World-2018, or Kanté, author of a sprawling performance in Scandinavia.

But even for a few minutes of play, Camavinga will not deprive itself of a new record of precocity.

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  • Didier Deschamps

  • Croatia

  • Soccer

  • Sport

  • French team

  • Eduardo Camavinga