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#3 France
After their horrific loss at home in the 2016 European championship, France is set to arrive in Russia with a vengeance. A healthy Raphaël Varane in defence, alongside an experienced Samuel Umtiti, gives France an excellent foundation to put the confidence on offence.
The French offensive side has a boost with the appearances from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé. The two youngsters will participate in their first big tournament with the national team and are poised to confirm France as a top-tier squad.
Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris completes France's solid defensive pieces, to go along their explosive attack with Antoine Griezmann, Mbappé, and Dembélé. But Didier Deschamps has a midfield issue. Paul Pogba is not the same player he was in 2016, while N´Golo Kanté's season with Chelsea FC included many ups and downs.
Blaise Matuidi has the experience needed for France's bid for their second World Cup, and his first year at Juventus was solid. On the other hand, Steven N'Zonzi played a career-high 47 matches in the season with Sevilla, but was somewhat inconsistent, again.
France will serve as a member of Group C alongside Denmark, Australia, and Perú.
