England in Friendly Face Off Against France After 2 Year Break
The English team will be rounding off their schedule for 2016 – 2017 with a friendly match against France, set to take place in Saint-Denis. This game will be coming 3 days after the Three Lions meet up to play against Scotland, at Hampden Park on Saturday the 10th of June, in their Qualifier for the 2018 World Cup.
The June 13th match will be the first time since November of 2015 that the English and French teams meet up, when Wayne Rooney and Dele Alli’s goals managed to secure a win of 2 – 0 for the former at Wembley Stadium. The last time the Three Lions travelled to the Stade de France was in March of 2008, for a friendly match that is probably best remembered as the 100th time David Beckham made an international appearance.
4 More Matches for the English after 13 June
After the English team meets up with France they will still have a total of 4 matches to get through in their group. It is likely that they will be using the Saint-Denis match in order to ensure they are properly prepared for the games to follow, which include opponents like Slovakia, Lithuania, Malta and Slovenia. The online betting NZ sites, and those around the world that offer soccer wagers, will naturally be keeping a close eye on the outcome of these games as the could be indicative of future performances.
Kylian Mbappe in French Squad
Deschamps has chosen his 26-man squad for the game, and it includes the 18-year old wunderkind Kylian Mbappe. This player made his initial 2 international appearances during the fixtures in March against Spain and Luxembourg, and, in doing so became the 2nd youngest player in France ever. He has retained his place in the squad thanks to helping Monaco get their first Ligue 1 title in all of 17 years, and scoring a total of 24 goals at the same time.
The Same French Squad for World Cup Qualifiers
The same squad which Deschamps has announced will also be the team taking on Sweden in the World Cup Qualifying match set for the 9th of June, as well as a friendly game against the Paraguayans on the 2nd.
The star-studded squad includes Paul Pogba, of Manchester United, and Antoine Griezmann, from Atlético Madrid, the latter possibly moving to Manchester this summer as well. The breakthrough season which Mbappe has enjoyed has also made this player a target for team Real Madrid.
No Room for Karim Benzema
There is still no room for Karim Benzema, the striker for Real Madrid, however, with this player not being featured for his country since October of 2015, after allegations of inclusion in a blackmail plot. Deschamps has made a point of not selecting Benzema since the scandal first emerged, and Anthony Martial, forward for Manchester United, has also consistently been snubbed, even though his performances with the Red Devils have vastly improved over recent weeks.
When he was asked about the fact that Benzema is continually being ignored, Deschamps stated that the French team was initially put together before the Euro in 2016, became consolidated in the period over which the competition took place, and has been kept in place for this phase of the qualifications for this reason.