The World Cup knockout stages continue Tuesday with a pair of compelling Round of 32 matchups, where a star-studded France will face a gritty Sweden side and Norway will unleash a well-rested Erling Haaland against a highly versatile Ivory Coast.
France swept through Group I with a perfect record, scoring 10 goals in victories over Senegal, Iraq, and Norway. Their frontline of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Michael Olise has formed arguably the most devastating attacking unit in the tournament.
However, head coach Didier Deschamps still has defensive and transitional issues to solve on the left side of his team before squaring off against Sweden.
Theo Hernandez has failed to fully convince at left back. As a result, Lucas Digne is expected to enter the starting lineup to provide greater defensive security and steadier delivery from wide areas.
Further up the pitch on the left wing, Bradley Barcola is projected to replace Desire Doue. Deschamps is looking for more direct running, transitional pace, and natural width to counterbalance the heavy right-side bias of the Olise-Mbappe-Dembele axis.
