France boss Didier Deschamps hinted he would reinsert skipper Kylian Mbappé into the starting line-up for Tuesday night's clash against Poland even though France were assured of a place in the last-16 knockout stages on Monday night following Albania's defeat to Spain.
Mbappé, 25, missed last Friday's 0-0 draw against the Netherlands as he continued his recovery from the broken nose he sustained during the closing stages of France's opening day win over Austria on 18 June.
The stalemate in Leipzig between France and the Netherlands left both teams with four points each after two games in Group D.
On Monday night, France and the Netherlands were guaranteed a slot in the last-16 as one of the four best third-placed teams.
However, in the prelude to the third game in Group D in Dortmund, Deschamps conceded he would prefer to rest his top stars but suggested he would send out Mbappé – who will wear a face mask to protect his nose – in order to secure pole position
"Being first is important," said the 55-year-old who is seeking to become the first man to win the World Cup and European championship as a player and as a coach.
Goal
"Our aim is to keep everyone in the team and make sure that everyone feels ready," he added.
"If I could allocate playing time to everyone ... mathematically, that's impossible. It requires exchanges. but all my players are eligible for the starting line-up."
France laboured without Mbappé against the Dutch. Stand-in skipper Antoine Griezmann spurned two good chances to score as did late substitute Oliver Giroud.
Mbappé has featured in training sessions in a black mask which restrict his field of vision.
“He's getting better every day," said Deschamps. "The bruising on his nose has actually gone down and he's getting used to playing in a mask.
"He wants to play, he's raring to go. He wanted to play against the Netherlands and wants to play against Poland."
Mbappé, who will start his career at Real Madrid after the tournament, entered the competition as one of the men to watch.
Chance
Before he left the field on 18 June, he squandered an excellent chance to open his account at a European championships.
Should he suffer another injury to his face or any other part of his anatomy, questions will be raised over Deschamps' judgment especially with the boss of already eliminated Poland vowing to compete at full throttle.
“We will play against France with our best possible line-up," said Michal Probierz."This game will be good for us as part of our preparations for the Uefa Nations League in the autumn."
In Group C on Tuesday night, pool leaders England take on Slovenia in Cologne and Denmark face Serbia in Munich.
The winners of the group will play one of the teams finishing third on Sunday and the runner-up will play Germany in Dortmund on Saturday night.
