Will Désiré Doué play for France tonight? PSG forward eyes full World Cup debut

Paris Saint-Germain have 16 players taking part in the 2026 World Cup, and six of them are set to clash as France take on Senegal in their opener this Tuesday. Ibrahim Mbaye with Senegal and Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Lucas Hernandez, Bradley Barcola and Warren Zaire-Emery all representing France.

Is Désiré Doué expected to play for France tonight?

Ahead of France's first World Cup group stage clash against AFCON finalist Senegal, Didier Deschamps could give to Désiré Doué his first full World Cup debut. The 21-year-old has played seven games for the national team, scoring two goals. He is far from being a key player of Didier Deschamps' team and is set to battle for a spot in the starting lineup with Bradley Barcola and possibly Marcus Thuram.

Though, the former Rennes player has reportedly a better chance to start this upcoming clash as Deschamps could use the exact same starting lineup from the 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland in France's last warm-up game before the World Cup.

In the last two years, Doué became a highly valued player worldwide following his incredible performances with PSG under Luis Enrique. If he were to be a starter in Deschamps' team, this tournament could be the perfect chance for the young Frenchman to see his stock rise dramatically.

France's left-winger's depth chart at the World Cup

As mentioned before, Didier Deschamps should use the same starting lineup that defeated Northern Ireland. While many players such as Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé or Rayan Cherki could all feature on the left wing, Deschamps should mostly rely on Barcola, Thuram and Doué to occupy this position. Out of these three players, Désiré Doué is the most likely to start, which could be the best chance he could have to cement in spot in the national team for the foreseeable future. Bradley Barcola is certainly a close second option at this position but could be a surprise while Thuram is very unlikely to start on the left wing.

France team news and predicted lineup

Deschamps is expected to name an unchanged lineup against Sadio Mané's Senegal with Mike Maignan protected by William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano at centre-back while Jules Koundé and Theo Hernandez feature as full-back. In midfield, Real Madrid's Aurélien Tchouaméni will partner Adrien Rabiot in the double pivot. N'Golo Kanté could be a surprise at the start of the game and replace the AC Milan player. The offensive line will be composed of 2025 Ballon d'Or Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué and Kylian Mbappé who could break Olivier Giroud's goalscoring record with France.

Bradley Barcola who could be on his way out of PSG could also be an option to start on the left wing instead of Doué for this game.

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