Today (4 December), France will face Poland in the round of 16 of the FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha.
Les Bleus will be trying to avenge a 1-0 loss to now-eliminated Tunisia in their last encounter. Poland, on the other side, will be seeking to rebound from a 2-0 loss to Argentina in their previous match.
The defending World Cup champions and Poland will both be aiming for a victory that will advance them to the competition’s quarterfinals.
We’ll look at three specific battles that could affect how the encounter turns out below.
3 Olivier Giroud vs Jakub Kiwior
Olivier Giroud has excelled in attack without Karim Benzema, scoring twice in as many games for Qatar 2022 World Cup appearances.
The AC Milan attacker describes headers as his admirable ability to put the ball in the goal. It may be fatal to give him room in the penalty area to attempt aerial shots, so Jakub Kiwior will have his work cut out for him.
With France on the horizon, Kiwior’s defensive acumen, which has been impressive so far in the tournament, will be put to the test. In the tournament thus far, the center-back has assisted Poland in keeping two clean sheets, and he will be looking to maintain the trend against France today.
2 Robert Lewandowski vs Dayot Upamecano
The greatest offensive danger for Poland entering into this match is Robert Lewandowski, who has tremendous finishing ability.
With just one goal in three games so far in this tournament, the Barcelona forward has not been at his best. Dayot Upamecano is here to avoid giving him the chance to investigate while he’s in the penalty area, since doing so may be fatal.
Upamecano has displayed strong defensive play in helping France win their first two group games, but he missed the previous matchup against Tunisia, which is now out of the tournament. In this match, his defensive prowess will be put to the test, and it will be interesting to see if he can contain Lewandowski.
1 Kylian Mbappe vs Kamil Glik
Mbappe is arguably France’s best performing player in the competition so far and his presence in attack has been significant. He has netted three goals and has registered one assist in three matches, topping the goal scoring charts.
The striker for Paris Saint-Germain personifies speed unlike any other attacker. With the ball at his feet, he can outpace opponents and finish a goal-scoring pass with finesse. Giving him the chance to move forward while the ball is in play might be risky. Kamil Glik will be prepared to try the arduous task of observing Mbappe’s movement in the latter third of the field.
It will be intriguing to see whether Glik can silence his old AS Monaco colleague in this match given his superb defensive awareness thus far in the campaign. The 34-year-old veteran, who has 102 caps, will try to utilise all of his knowledge and skills to stop Mbappe’s onslaught.