Aurélien Tchouaméni will miss the World Cup round of 16 match between Paraguay and France, scheduled for Saturday at 11 p.m. in Philadelphia. The French midfielder felt discomfort in his thigh during the last training session. The Real Madrid player, vice-captain of the French national team, is unavailable for this match.
Manu Koné expected in midfield
To compensate for his absence, Manu Koné is expected to start in midfield. He is anticipated to partner Adrien Rabiot in the French midfield. Tchouaméni had already been replaced by Koné during the group stage match against Iraq, which France won 3-0.
An important player is absent
Since the start of the tournament, Aurélien Tchouaméni had played three of France's first four matches in their entirety: against Senegal, a 3-1 victory; against Norway, a 4-1 victory; and then against Sweden, a 3-0 victory. His absence comes just hours before a knockout match against Paraguay.
The rest of the expected starting eleven remains unchanged.
Apart from this midfield change, the French starting eleven is expected to remain unchanged from the round of 32 victory against Sweden. Lucas Digne and Bradley Barcola are expected to continue on the left flank.
