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France team news: Predicted France line up vs Germany – Captain to miss Nations League tie
FRANCE are set to start their UEFA Nations League campaign without captain Hugo Lloris when they take on Germany at the Allianz Arena tonight (7.45pm).
France get their UEFA Nations League campaign underway with a tough fixture against Germany at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
The World Cup winners will be without captain Hugo Lloris after the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper was ruled out due to injury.
Fellow stopper Steve Mandanda is also sidelined so Paris Saint-Germain ace Alphonse Areola will deputise in the League A Group One clash.
Didier Deschamps is expected to stick with the majority of the side which was so successful in Russia this summer, although Manchester City star Benjamin Mendy is pushing for a start.
Lucas Hernandez was deployed at left-back during the World Cup but could lose his spot to Mendy after the 24-year-old’s five assists in four matches for City.
Elsewhere, Samuel Umtiti and Raphael Varane are likely to continue as a centre-back pairing while Premier League duo N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba should dovetail in midfield.
Ousmane Dembele has been in fine form for Barcelona so far this season, although the youngster will have a tough job displacing Kylian Mbappe or Blaise Matuidi in the wide positions.
Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud has had limited game time at Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri but is a favourite of Deschamps and is expected to partner Antoine Griezmann up front.
Les Bleus are in the top tier of the inaugural Nations League, which sees 55 European teams going head-to-head in the newly-founded international tournament.
There will be a Final Four event next summer where the winners will be crowned Nations League champions, while teams also have the opportunity to secure vital Euro 2020 qualifying play-off spots.
France are highly unlikely to need this route into the tournament if their normal qualifying campaign goes to plan, although another piece of silverware is always welcome.
Therefore, Deschamps’ side will want to avoid a World Cup hangover and start quickly against a Germany outfit that underperformed in the summer, getting knocked out of a group containing Sweden, Mexico and South Korea.