Raphael Varane starts for France in their Round of 16 clash with Poland at the Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar.
Varane lines up at the heart of the France back four alongside Dayot Upamecano as they look to help France keep it tight at the back, which will allow them to sustain attacks and create problems for Poland, and in Kylian Mbappe, France have someone who can do just that.
The Manchester United defender is making his third start of the tournament having successfully recovered from the hamstring injury that he sustained in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge at the end of October.
It is a positive for United and France that Varane managed to come through the group stages without any concerns as his fitness was carefully being managed, presumably for the knockout stages.
If France are to get through to the next round, then they will need Varane to perform and display his defensive and leadership qualities as Didier Deschamps’ side look to stop one of the best strikers in the world, Robert Lewandowski, from scoring.
Set-pieces are hugely important, which can define huge games because the margins are so fine. Therefore, Varane will also have a big role to play from an attacking point of view because whenever France get a set-piece, the United man is likely to be a target for Les Bleus due to his aerial presence.
The winner of the game between France and Poland, will face the winner from the later game between England and Senegal, which will kick off at 7pm UK time.
