PSG duo Bradley Barcola & Désiré Doué set to battle for France starting role at 2026 World Cup

The 2026 World Cup were 16 PSG players are set to represent their respective countries has just kicked off in Mexico with the host securing an important 2-0 victory over South Africa in the opener. France who count five PSG players in their squad will face Senegal on June 16 to open their World Cup campaign as they hope to add a third star to their collection.

Ahead of the game, Didier Deschamps who will lead the French national team for the last time will have many important choices to make in his starting lineup as France as one of the best offensive roster of the tournament. One of these choices will be to decide which player should start on the left wing for France.

Many different options are available for Deschamps with reportedly a battle set to take place between two PSG stars for this spot: Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué. Both players are fairly young but have been playing at the highest level with their club, winning back-to-back Champions League titles under Luis Enrique. But which one would be the best option for France and Didier Deschamps in their quest of a third star.

Who between Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué should start for France at the 2026 World Cup?

Why Barcola should start?

The former Lyon player is not a starter at PSG, being behind Georgian star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the hierarchy as a left winger, which could push him to leave this summer. However, the 23-year-old has still managed to lead the Parisians in goal scored in Ligue 1 with 11. He is also able to make many differences when going forward often dribbling past his defending opponents with ease.

He also proved that he is compatible with Kylian Mbappé the leader and captain of this team who often goes on the left wing in possesion leaving Bradley Bracola in the middle, which is something that might be harder for Désiré Doué. While he only scored three goals in 20 games played with France, he could be lethal to assiociate him with the likes of Michael Olise, Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, his PSG teammmates at he would get space to go in behind.

Why Désiré Doué should start?

The 21-year-old is in my opinion the best option out of the two, as he could see his stock rise throughout the tournament. While Barcola thrive when he has space, he could struggle against teams sitting deep in front of their box, which is something that numerous teams will do when facing France's offensive armada. In these scenarios, the best option is Doué who will be able to easily combined with his teammates in tight spaces.

Furthermore, he has already scored two goals with France in seven games and his versatility could be a massive boost for the French side as he could switch positions with all players throughout the games making harder for the oppoenents to read their attacking paterns.

Who will Deschamps pick?

Well the best option seems to be Doué who also started for France in their last warm-up game against Northern Ireland and he showed that he was a very solid option. However, while the two PSG stars are reportedly the two options at this position, Deschamps could opt for Thuram, a striker able to slide on the left-wing off possession which would allow Mbappé to shift on the left when in possession while Thuram plays in number nine.

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