RMC: Mbappé Still Troubled by Ankle Injury, Trained Separately in Monday's Session

July 14 – France face Spain in Dallas tomorrow in the World Cup semi-final. According to RMC Sport, Didier Deschamps is set to make minor adjustments to his starting lineup, with Tchouaméni returning to the XI after recovering from a knock, while Doué could keep his place. However, captain Kylian Mbappé trained separately due to ankle pain, raising questions about his fitness.

Despite a strong 2–0 win over Morocco in the quarter-finals, Deschamps is still planning a change in midfield for this crucial tie. Tchouaméni, who missed the matches against Paraguay and Morocco with an injury, is set to return alongside Rabiot. This means Manu Koné will drop to the bench despite impressing as a substitute. In Monday's practice match, Tchouaméni and Koné each featured for a half, but sources confirm Tchouaméni's starting role was already decided on Sunday.

Deschamps is not expected to make many other changes. Maignan will remain in goal, with Upamecano and Saliba at centre-back, Digne at left-back, and Koundé on the right. In attack, Dembélé and Olise are expected to start. The left-wing spot is still undecided between Barcola and Doué, who split playing time equally in Monday's session.

Mbappé's fitness is the biggest concern. He took a knock to his ankle in the Morocco match. He did train separately with Konaté and Zaïre-Emery. During the first 15 minutes open to the media, he only did light jogging and short passing drills, followed by shooting practice under the watch of fitness coach Cyrille Moine. Moine asked him several times how he was feeling, and a pained expression after one shot may raise further concern. However, French media suggest this was mostly precautionary, and his place in the starting XI is not in doubt.

France's expected lineup: Maignan – Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne – Tchouaméni (or Koné), Rabiot – Dembélé, Olise, Barcola (or Doué) – Mbappé.

Source: RMC Sport