France and Sweden Lineups: Deschamps Makes Four Changes

France is set to clash with Sweden in a European showdown in the Round of 16 at the World Cup.

Didier Deschamps, who missed the final group stage match due to his mother's passing, has made four changes to the lineup. William Saliba and Adrien Rabiot, rested against Norway, return to the starting XI, replacing Maxence Lacroix and Manu Koné. Bradley Barcola gets the nod over Désiré Doué. On the left side of defense, Lucas Digne starts, stepping in for Theo Hernandez.

The previous World Cup finalists navigated the group stage flawlessly, securing three wins from three matches. The French began their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Senegal, followed by a comfortable 3-0 win against Iraq, and concluded with a dominant 4-1 triumph over Norway. With 10 goals scored, France stands as one of the tournament's most prolific attacking teams so far. Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé are in formidable form, both having already netted four goals each.

Sweden advanced to the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams, demonstrating significant attacking prowess. They set a new national record with seven goals in the group stage, following a convincing 5-1 win over Tunisia, a heavy 1-5 defeat to the Netherlands, and a 1-1 draw with Japan.