France vs. Poland: Mbappé and Lewandowski – The duel of two superstars
In the third game of the round of 16 France face Poland on Sunday afternoon. Les Bleus, with star player Kylian Mbappé, go into the match as favourites as they bid to defend their title. They could become only the third team after Italy in 1938 and Brazil in 1962 to win two consecutive FIFA World Cups.
Robert Lewandowski and his team are determined to prevent that. For Poland, it would be the first time since 1982 if they manage to progress to the quarterfinals.
Kick-off is at 3 o’clock on Sunday at the Al-Thumama Stadium in Doha.
France is likely to field their strongest starting eleven after coach Didier Deschamps sent out the supposed B squad in the last group game against Tunisia.
Poland’s goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has stood out in the group stage. He saved penalties against both Saudi Arabia and Argentina’s Lionel Messi. So if there is no winner in the match until after injury time, that could be a big advantage for Poland.
The White and Reds have not really convinced in the first three World Cup games. Due to top-class alternatives, Czesław Michniewicz’s team will probably name an unchanged lineup from their final group game against Saudi Arabia, which they won 2-0.
France, on the other hand, had few problems in their group. They only lost their last game against Tunisia because a goal towards the end of the game was disallowed. However, they were already assured of advancing to the next round before the game.
The highlight of the match will certainly be the duel of the goal scorers between Kylian Mbappé and Robert Lewandowski. While the Pole has only scored one goal so far, the Frenchman already has three. It will certainly be interesting to see which of the two will be able to add to his goal tally.
The winner of this match will face England or Senegal in the next round of the FIFA World Cup tournament.
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