France defender Ibrahima Konate has expressed his confidence in the national team doing well in the absence of captain Kylian Mbappe for their match against Italy. Les Bleus are set to do battle with the Azzurri for the top spot in their group on Sunday, November 17. Both sides have already sealed qualification for the quarterfinals of the UEFA Nations League.
Italy triumphed over France in their most recent meeting in the Nations League in September, claiming a 3-1 win over the 2021 champions. Luciano Spalletti’s side would have been licking their lips after seeing their opposition struggle in their goalless draw against minnows Israel on Thursday.
Didier Deschamps’ France failed to find the net at the Stade de France with Mbappe having been left out for a second international window in succession. Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate refused to allow this fact to fly as an excuse for their upcoming game against Italy. He pointed out in his press conference that in spite of Mbappe’s importance, they can still win. He said (via Football Italia):
“Obviously France can succeed without Mbappé. We can never forget all he has done, but it’s hardly as if we cannot win in his absence.”
Deschamps’ side were without Kylian Mbappe when they faced Belgium and Israel in October and won both games, scoring six goals in the process. The Real Madrid man has made the headlines in recent weeks, following his absence from Deschamps’ squad this month.
Les Bleus’ team will have a different feel when they face Italy without the retired duo of Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann, as well as Mbappe. Sunday’s game at San Siro will see the French fighting for top-seed status in the quarterfinals, while Italy know that a point will see them win the group.
Italy captain remains wary of Mbappe-less France
Italy captain Gianluigi Donnarumma has revealed that he expects France to pose problems for his side even without captain Kylian Mbappe. The Real Madrid man was a surprise omission from the French squad for this month’s UEFA Nations League games.
Donnarumma played alongside Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). He referred to the 25-year-old as one of the world’s best players and revealed that his absence was surprising. He did, however, point out during the press conference that there are several other French players who can cause problems for his side in the game. He said (via Reuters):
“Yes, I don’t know abut the choices that are made in other squads. I don’t know what happened, it’s certainly an important absence. I know Kylian, he is one of the strongest in the world and if he was here he could have troubled us a lot, but there will be other players.
“I know all of them well, they have great quality, strong strikers like (Bradley) Barcola, (Randal) Kolo Muani and (Warren) Zaire-Emery who play with me. Barcola is an incredible talent, so they have very strong substitutes who can bother us.”
The France-based goalkeeper has led his side excellently following a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign. They have picked up 13 points from five group games thus far. They will be looking to finish the group stage with an unbeaten record and seal the top spot when they face Les Bleus on Sunday.
Edited by Aditya Singh
