Konaté set to replace Saliba in central defence against Ivory Coast

Didier Deschamps will replace William Saliba with Ibrahima Konaté in their international friendly against Ivory Coast.

The Arsenal defender is out of action due to a back injury and will not feature against Ivory Coast on Thursday in Nantes.

 Deschamps, during a press conference, said he has an idea of what his starting eleven will look like in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opening game against Senegal on June 16 in New Jersey.

This means the one he will field tonight in Nantes against the African side could be close to it with two or three exceptions.

 Saliba did not train at the Beaujoire stadium on Wednesday, having just returned to the camp on Tuesday after Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.

The decision of the coach means he would have the Upamecano-Konaté central defensive pairing for this friendly match, the same pairing used for France’s opening game at the last World Cup, a 4-1 victory against Australia.

Deschamps is expected to start Jules Koundé on the right, and Theo Hernandez is expected on the left against the Ivory Coast.

As a test-run game, Deschamps is expected to ring many changes during the match.

He could start a midfield pivot of  Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrien Rabiot, while the attacking quartet should be made up of Michael Olise, Marcus Thuram, Rayan Cherki, and Kylian Mbappé.

Since it’s a friendly game, he could make numerous substitutions during the game, potentially ten, to “distribute playing time.

 Based on his announcement in a press conference, the five Paris Saint-Germain players who won the Champions League could therefore get some playing time.

Speaking about the team composition, he expressed delight about his squad even though they’ve already played in Nantes with the national team. 

“It’s not up to me (where the French team plays), but it’s great that it’s happening in Nantes.”

Lauding the Ivorian team, Deschamps, who captained Les Bleus to the 1998 FIFA World Cup, said they are among the very best African and world nations. 

“They have quality players and the potential to achieve great things. I spoke about this with Emerse (Faé, the Elephants’ coach). They are always one of the best nations because they have players in top European clubs. All 26 are in good condition”.