With a place in the quarter final at stake, it is difficult to see Didier Deschamps being tempted to rest any of his stars in this evening’s Round of 16 clash against Paraguay.

France have looked unstoppable since the tournament started. They lead in terms of goals scored (13) and have only conceded two - against Senegal and Norway. Les Bleus also top FIFA’s individual power ranking charts with Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise topping the attacking and creativity lists.

Deschamps will need Mbappé, Olise, Dembélé and Co, to be at the top of their game to break down a stubborn Paraguay side who also have the goalkeeper with the best figures - Orlando Gill.

The good news is that Deschamps has almost a full squad to select his XI - with just one injury concern (Aurélien Tchouaméni is ruled out with a thigh muscle issue) and no suspensions. The coach has been selective in rotating his team during the four matches played so far - Bradley Barcola has flitted in and out of the side and Lucas Digne has relieved Theo Hernandez at left-back a couple of times but other than that, the core of the side has remained the same.

The stats also favor France who are unbeaten in five previous encounters with Paraguay. The most recent meeting was a friendly in in Rennes in June 2017 - a 5-0 win for the hosts with Olivier Giroud taking the matchball home.

France’s confirmed starting XI against Paraguay at World Cup 2026

Maignan; Koundé, Saliba, Upamecano, Digne; Koné, Rabiot; Barcola, Olise, Dembélé; Mbappé (c).

Today’s game will be played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia with kick-off scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.

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