Kylian Mbappe has warned Ireland that he is on the hunt for a hat-trick tonight - to bring him level with Michel Platini in France’s all-time goalscoring charts.
The PSG star is currently on 38 goals in 67 caps, three off the Les Bleus legend, who is fourth in his country’s list of top scorers.
Asked if he might reach that goal at the Aviva Stadium, Mbappe replied: “For me, it’s an honour to be at this stage, that’s my next target.
“I’ll keep going, it might be (tonight), it might not. Michel Platini is a legend of French football but I’ll get past that mark at some point.”
France boss Didier Deschamps paid tribute to the ambitious 24-year-old, saying: “That’s Kylian, he’s full of ambition, always setting himself new objectives and new goals.
“He always sets his sights. But the group the collective comes first, he’s gone past people quickly but his motivation is to keep going.”
While not exactly downplaying the notion that Mbappe could go on another goal spree tonight after netting twice against Holland, Deschamps was complimentary towards tonight’s opponents.
The Stephen Kenny revolution, it seems, hasn’t gone unnoticed in France.
Deschamps remembered a time when Ireland played a more direct style - and he recognised that things had changed in recent years.
“It’s true that I think Ireland have this enthusiasm, this determination which is part of their football DNA,” he said yesterday, “but that is not everything.
“They also have quality, they are capable of playing on the ground.
“You also have to mention the support they have that will push their team forward.
“I am expecting a high level match but the same as Friday we want to win.
“They play a different system, this Ireland team, they like to play three at the back.”
Deschamps was in charge for the last competitive meeting of the two sides, in Euro 2016, when the tournament hosts came back to win 2-1 and grab a quarter-final spot.
Of the players that featured on that sunny day in Lyon, James McClean, goalscorer Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick and Seamus Coleman are in the squad tonight.
Antoine Griezmann’s second-half double won it for Les Bleus, and both he and Olivier Giroud remain, while Kingsley Coman came off the bench almost seven years ago.
“If I think back to 2016, I remember we were losing 1-0 at half time, that was a round of 16 game, that was a difficult one,” said Deschamps.
“There is a new generation now with new players, Ferguson poses a threat, a good player, Johnston as well has joined the team, it is a mix of young and experienced players.
“But our team is different too, it is hard to compare really.
“Ireland are known for being direct and vertical in how they play, but of what I’ve seen in recent games they are capable of playing the ball along the ground as well.
“Of course they have a new coach (Stephen Kenny) who arrived in 2020 as well.”
Deschamps’ defence has changed completely since 2016 - and it’s one that is packed with pace and potential.
Legendary centre-half Marcel Desailly even wrote this week that the pairing of Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano could become the strongest his country has ever seen.
“It’s true that it’s an extremely strong defence,” said Deschamps, when asked about the Liverpool and Bayern Munich pair.
“Both are very good players but are helped by having solid players in front of them.
“If it’s the best of all time, it is hard to say. Even over the 10 to 15 years we’ve had some good players.”
Looking ahead to tonight’s game, he added: “The objective remains the same, we’re playing a different opponent (to Holland) who have a different system.
“But the goal remains the same, it is to pose a threat, play well as well as we did on Friday.”
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