France's Kone in for injured Tchouameni for Paraguay World Cup clash
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Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Round of 16 - Paraguay v France - Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. - July 4, 2026 France's Manu Kone arrives at the stadium before the match REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
PHILADELPHIA, July 4 - France coach Didier Deschamps made one change to the team who beat Sweden 3-0 in the previous round, bringing Manu Kone into midfield in place of the injured Aurelien Tchouameni for Saturday’s World Cup last-16 clash against Paraguay.
• Tchouameni out with thigh injury, French sports daily L'Equipe reported on Friday
• Kone will be paired with Adrien Rabiot behind France's four-pronged attack
• Paraguay line up in likely 5-4-1 ultra defensive formation
• Winners face Morocco in Boston on July 9
Teams:
Paraguay - Orlando Gill; Juan Jose Caceres, Gustavo Gomez (captain), Gustavo Velazquez, Omar Alderete, Junior Alonso; Miguel Almiron, Diego Gomez, Andres Cubas, Matias Galarza; Julio Enciso
France - Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Lucas Digne; Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola; Kylian Mbappe (captain) REUTERS