France coach Didier Deschamps hinted that Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe would start together for the first time in Les Bleus’ friendly against Wales on Wednesday.
Real Madrid striker Benzema was a surprise call-up in the squad for Euro 2020 after a hiatus of more than five years following a row with Deschamps. Benzema is due to stand trial in France in October for alleged blackmail against teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
Paris Saint-Germain‘s Mbappe and Barcelona‘s Griezmann will round out the formidable front three for France.
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Deschamps said ahead of the friendly in Nice: “Our performance will also depend on what everyone brings. The midfielders, the full-backs. I don’t want to dissociate the three forwards from the rest of the team.”
France were drawn against Germany, Hungary and European champions Portugal in Group F of the Euro, which was rescheduled from last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As they start their preparations against Wales, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris warned the side would be a tough test.
“They’re a typical British team, very physical and the players make that extra effort when they play for their national team,” the Tottenham Hotspur player said.
“They’re dangerous on set pieces, very balanced. We’re going to have to be at a very high level if we want to avoid a bad surprise.”
Lloris also warned that France cannot rely only on Benzema if they want to have success.
“Everyone has to adapt and everyone, not just one player, must be at their best,” Lloris said.