Cédric Chasseur // Photo credits: FRANCK FIFE / AFP
A little more patience for the players of the French football team. They will enter the competition on Monday at 9 p.m. against Austria. Arriving on Wednesday at their base camp in Paderborn, Didier Deschamps’ players continue their preparation, while chomping at the bit.
It’s already the third day for the Euro. Three matches are on Sunday: Poland – Netherlands at 3 p.m., Slovenia – Denmark at 6 p.m., and Serbia – England at 9 p.m. For France, it will be necessary to wait until 9 p.m. Monday evening before facing Austria.
A bit of a long wait
If good humor still reigned Saturday evening during the Blues’ last training session in Paderborn, a touch of weariness is rearing its ugly head. Preparing for the Euro is good, but the players of the France team are more than eager to do battle. “It’s a bit long, but we did a good preparation,” adds Théo Hernandez. The Marseillais admits, however, that the “emotion” is starting to build in anticipation of the first match.
The good news for Didier Deschamps is that he was able to count on his 25 players on Saturday, which has not always been the case since the start of preparation. Between illnesses and minor injuries, the coach has spared his troops, like his captain Kylian Mbappé, preserved several times this week.
“Kylian is the best player in the world”
Striker Marcus Thuram remains calm about his teammate’s abilities: “Since the World Cup final, when he scored the hat-trick, I said I stopped doubting Kylian. It’s finish. Kylian is the best player in the world and he will do everything to help us win this competition.”
The Blues ended up leaving Paderborn mid-morning on Sunday. The sign that the French team’s Euro will finally be able to begin.