Laurent Blanc and his players arrived yesterday in Baillargues, a suburb of Montpellier, to prepare for the match against Chile, at the Mosson Stadium (tomorrow, 8:45 PM).
There are several uncertainties surrounding the French defense. In attack, the former Nice player, Loïc Rémy, in top form, could earn his spot alongside Karim Benzema.
Since Laurent Blanc took charge of the Blues a year ago, the French defense has never suffered such a setback.
Besides the already confirmed absence of Philippe Mexès (knee), Adil Rami is barely recovering from a knee edema. Additionally, the new Valencia player will be suspended on September 3, during the French team’s trip to Albania (Euro 2012 qualifiers).
Towards a Kaboul-Abidal pairing
It seems certain that Laurent Blanc will not start his mainstay player against Chile, tomorrow in Montpellier. That being said, there is uncertainty about the identity of the players who will form the central pairing.
If the Tottenham player Younès Kaboul is expected to be retained, this should not be the case for Mamadou Sakho. The PSG captain had a poor first match of the season against Lorient (0-1) on Saturday. Furthermore, his recent performances for the Blues have been disappointing.
The miracle man Éric Abidal, comfortable in the center in Warsaw, should accompany Kaboul, while the newcomer to Manchester City, Gaël Clichy – who arrived late to cover for Patrice Évra’s absence (also knee) – will return to the left corridor he hasn’t occupied since his disastrous match against Belarus at the Stade de France eleven months ago (0-1).
Rémy rewarded for his good form?
In midfield, Laurent Blanc is not expected to rush things with Marvin Martin, who was effective in Ukraine (2 goals, 1 assist) but still somewhat inexperienced.
Newcastle’s new player Yohan Cabaye is favored to support either Yann M’Vila (3 official matches under his belt) or Alou Diarra, a potential captain.
In attack, competition is also fierce. The coach seems to still be hesitating between the new Parisian Jérémy Ménez and the Marseille player Loïc Rémy.
But unlike the summer’s recruit in the Paris region, the former Nice player is in great shape. His goal against Sochaux on Saturday (2-2) is proof of that. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the former Nice player take advantage of the absence of his partner Mathieu Valbuena, Bayern’s Franck Ribéry, and Lille’s Dimitri Payet.
Alongside him, the indisputable Benzema (8 goals during the preparation with Real) and Malouda (a candidate for the captain’s armband, like Diarra) should logically start, defying any competition.
