Better not to be superstitious to support the Blues.

A few days before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, the bad luck continues to plague the reigning world champions.

Striker Christopher Nkunku, injured in training on Tuesday, withdrew for the World Cup, like Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kanté, Mike Maignan and Presnel Kimpembe before him.

The Leipzig player, current top scorer in the Bundesliga, is suffering from a "sprain" in his left knee, the French Football Federation announced on the eve of the Blues' departure for Qatar on Wednesday morning.

The name of his replacement has not been communicated for the moment, the FFF being awaiting a return from FIFA, which must authorize him to make a change in the list of 26 Blues.

In the event of a serious injury, the regulations allow a change to be made in this list, submitted since Monday.

A now former luxury replacement

Even if he did not apply, a priori, for a starting place, Nkunku appeared as a luxury substitute for the France team, despite his eight selections, all known in 2022. Crowned best player in the German championship last season , the former Parisian had just celebrated his 25th birthday on Monday at the Clairefontaine training center.

But on Tuesday evening, the enthusiasm suddenly dropped after contact with Eduardo Camavinga, during the opposition which closed the last training session before leaving for Doha.

Nkunku left his partners, holding his left knee, in particular, as if to test his support.

And the medical report was not long in coming: "The radiological examinations taken in the evening unfortunately revealed that it was a sprain", explained to the FFF.

It's a curse for the reigning world champions, who on Monday recorded Presnel Kimpembe's last-minute package, hit in the Achilles tendon.

Their N.2 goalkeeper, Mike Maignan, had already had to throw in the towel, hit in the calf, like the accomplice midfield duo of 2018, composed of Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kanté, also forfeited.

Back from injury, Karim Benzema has, for his part, still not completed a full session at Clairefontaine, like Raphaël Varane, touched a thigh in recent weeks and launched a race against time to be fit on November 22 against Australia, date of the entry into the running of the Blues in Qatar.

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