Didier Deschamps says Kylian Mbappe is “raring to go” ahead of a potential return for France tonight.
Mbappe missed Friday’s 0-0 draw with Netherlands after suffering a broken nose against Austria but could feature against Poland in Dortmund, wearing a protective mask.
Facing the already-eliminated Poles, France will win Group D if they better Holland’s result against Austria in the other game in the section.
An unused substitute against the Dutch, Mbappe is in line to play.
The France captain has been training in a mask and played in an hour-long behind-closed-doors friendly on Saturday, in which he scored two goals.
“The bruise has gone down a lot”, said Deschamps of Mbappe’s fracture. “He’s getting used to the mask. He wants to play, he’s raring to go.
“We all know about Kylian’s qualities, and one of the reasons we weren’t able to hit the back of the net [against Holland] was maybe a lack of efficiency. Maybe the fact Kylian will be here will help us score goals and win the game. It is a huge advantage to have him.”
Poland captain Robert Lewandowski is in line for his first start of Euro 2024 after recovering from a thigh injury. The Barcelona striker has played down the idea of retiring from international football after the Euros.
He said: “I’m 36 soon. A lot of people will be wondering how long I will play for, but I still have that fire inside me. Maybe one day I’ll think about retiring from international duty, but I see the potential in this team.”
Holland and Austria meet in Berlin, and Ronald Koeman is set to ignore calls to drop misfiring Dutch striker Memphis Depay.
“This team utterly needs him,” said the manager. “Of course he will be in the starting line-up.”
