Match News and Current Form

With the record for most World Cup games managed standing at 25, another deep French run into the tournament would see Deschamps etch his name into the history books. Reaching back-to-back World Cup finals certainly suggests that’s a distinct possibility in what will be his last tournament in charge, and after qualifying in near-perfect fashion (W5, D1), France have momentum behind them as they aim to become just the third team in history to reach three successive World Cup finals. Geopolitical issues which have followed them across the Atlantic threaten to derail France’s attempt to make history, but Deschamps has been quick to switch the attention back to on-field matters, and it’s easy to see why given France have won nine of their last 11 matches (D1, L1).

Senegal qualified for a third successive World Cup finals in similar fashion to France, advancing with an unbeaten record (W7, D3). Reaching three World Cups in a row is the joint-longest ongoing record amongst African nations, but none of those three appearances have seen them progress any further than the last 16. Their deepest run into the World Cup came back in 2002 when they reached the quarter-finals, a campaign which intriguingly began with a 1-0 win against France, but replicating that result may be tricky for a side who haven’t kept a clean sheet in 11 World Cup finals matches since and won neither of their pre-tournament warm-up games against fellow World Cup participants (D1, L1).

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