France face Paraguay in round of 16 – Deschamps warns of stubborn opponent

Paraguay a compact and stubborn opponent

The "Albirroja" ("Red and Whites") are considered compact and combative, with a certain hardness to their play. The key player in the "Albirroja"'s attack is Julio Enciso, who with two goals and one assist has been involved in every goal scored. The 22-year-old showed confidence ahead of the match: "We're afraid of nobody. We know what we're capable of and we'll harm anyone who faces us," he said.

France travel to the duel with an extraordinary attacking record. All 13 goals so far have been scored by these five players – Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué. Ten of those were scored by Mbappé and Dembélé alone. Olise has not contributed any goals so far, serving purely as a creator: Michael Olise with four assists and the most offensive actions (38) of any player in the tournament to date.

France's attacking line with an extraordinary record

Barcola and Doué share the playing time on the left wing, while two further attacking options, Rayan Cherki (Manchester City) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), are available on the bench. Crystal Palace poacher Jean-Philippe Mateta and Manchester City's Rayan Cherki are regarded as additional options for the closing stages.

Statistically, the French attacking formation ranks among a rare elite group. In the 21st century, only Brazil's attacking trio of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho at the 2002 World Cup, with 15 goals, were more prolific. Back then, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho led the Seleção in Japan and South Korea to their fifth and so far last world title.

Historical comparison with Brazil 2002

France go into the match with plenty of tournament experience. Les Bleus became world champions in 2018 and only narrowly missed out on the title as runners-up in 2022. Numerous experts agree that outgoing head coach Didier Deschamps can lead the French once again into title contention.

Situation ahead of Saturday's clash

For Paraguay, the round-of-16 tie against the title contender is the biggest stage they have had for years. The team around Enciso want to take their chance and are banking on togetherness, discipline and counter-attacking strength. The fact that the 2022 World Cup runners-up of all teams are waiting will likely add to the motivation.

France coach Didier Deschamps is wary ahead of the round-of-16 clash against the Red and Whites – and is preparing his team for a physically intense evening. Kick-off is on Saturday at 11 p.m.