With Tchouaméni exiting the pitch, Liverpol centre-back Ibrahima Konaté has been given the skipper’s armband. Konaté already wore it in the dying minutes of France’s game against Israel on Friday in Budapest when Tchouaméni was being replaced in injury time by PSG midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery, thus becoming France’s 133rd captain in its rich history.

The fact Konaté inherits the skipper’s armband in back-to-back competitive games for France – with the likes of Mike Maignan, Jules Koundé or Ousmane Dembélé overlooked despite having more international experience – speaks volumes about Deschamps’ faith in the Liverpool centre-back. The latter himself backed his candidacy to fill in in the absence of Kylian Mbappé.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

Les Bleus started on the back foot with Belgium enjoying plenty of freedom in building from the back and Jérémy Doku making differences on the right flank. France were rightly penalized with William Saliba playing Loïs Openda onside and clumsily taking out the RB Leipzig man in his penalty box. Youri Tielemans stepped up and skied his spot-kick. A lift-off for France and an opportunity to make the hosts pay arose.

Following a bout of pressure, Wout Faes handled the ball in trying to shield it from Bradley Barcola. The referee pointed to the spot. Randal Kolo Muani, who was nowhere to be found in the first half-hour, kept a cool head to thwart Koen Casteels. France were heading into half-time with an undeserved lead, but their defensive shortcomings returned to haunt them. Saliba, at fault again, allowed Openda a free header from Timothy Castagne’s cross.

In the second half, France upped the ante and Manu Koné thought he had scored his debut goal with a well-taken near-post finish. But his effort was chalked off with Kolo Muani handling the ball. The PSG centre-forward made amends for it in restoring France’s lead in heading home Lucas Digne’s cross. France weathered a late Belgium push with a player shy considering Aurélien Tchouaméni was given his marching orders.

In the end, France held on to three points in their neighbors’ backyard with the crowd aiming their displeasure at Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco. France will only need one point from two games, against Israel and Italy, to book their ticket for next March’s Nations League quarter-finals.

France players ratings

Mike Maignan, 7

Jules Koundé, 6

Ibrahima Konaté, 6

William Saliba, 3

A catastrophic first half from the Arsenal centre-back. Penalized for taking out Openda in his penalty box, he didn’t learn from his mistakes in playing the Leipzig centre-forward onside for his equalizing goal. Still shaky in the second half.

Lucas Digne, 5

Manu Koné, 5

Mattéo Guendouzi, 6

An energetic midfield shift from the Lazio Rome player, who kicked on following his remarkable cameo from the bench against Israel.

Aurélien Tchouaméni, 4

The skipper was the less influential France midfielder of the night and he took one for the team in preventing Youri Tielemans from a one-on-one with Maignan, letting his teammates one player shy in the final 15 minutes.

Ousmane Dembélé, 4

Randal Kolo Muani, 7

The centre-forward is as wasteful for PSG as he is clinical for France. He kept a cool head to dispatch a spot-kick for his first goalscoring opportunity and restored France’s lead with a confident header. No France player scored more goals this year than him.

Bradley Barcola, 6

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

France will travel to Budapest, Hungary, to face Israel this Thursday before a rematch of their Euro 2024 RO16 game against Belgium, at Brussels on Monday. Despite playing no part in Germany with Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps putting his faith in Dayot Upemecano and William Saliba, Konaté has emerged as a serious candidate. The Liverpool man himself claimed this Tuesday his name should be thrown into the hat.

RMC Sport understands that Konaté is indeed highly appreciated by Deschamps and that his infectious charisma and personality have won over his France teammates. The outlet adds that Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni (24) also ticks all the boxes, although his self-assured personality has not always been unanimously appreciated. Furthermore, Barcelona’s Jules Koundé’s (25) latest performances with France have given him enough credit for his candidacy. The Bordeaux Academy graduate has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind in the dressing room and is seen as a caring figure at Clairefontaine.

RMC Sport adds that AC Milan goalkeeper and undisputed France No.1 Mike Maignan won’t inherit the skipper’s armband.

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To replace Upamecano, Didier Deschamps has called up Badé, as he did in the September international break when Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana had to pull out as well through injury. Badé is yet to make his debut with Les Bleus as he injured himself before France’s game against Italy. Fofana is also a doubt. L’Equipe understands that the Chelsea centre-back will meet with the medical staff upon his arrival this afternoon at Clairefontaine.

France will play two away games in the UEFA Nations League A2 group. They will travel to Budapest, Hungary, to face Israel on Thursday. Four days later, on Monday, Les Bleus will pay a visit to their Belgian neighbors at Brussels.

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The day after club president Olivier Cloarec’s dismissal, Rennes hosted second-placed Monaco to climb up the Ligue 1 standings before the international break. Meanwhile, the Principality side could go top of the league before PSG’s trip to Nice. Following a pre-game tribute to Benjamin Bourigeaud, Rennes conceded right away with Thilo Kehrer heading in Eliesse Ben Seghir’s inswinging corner kick.

The visitors had little time to relish their lead, but little could they do to prevent Ludovic Blas from lashing a magnificent left-footed missile in Philipp Köhn’s top right corner. As they did against PSG last week at the Parc des Princes, the Bretons pressed high up the pitch, which exposed them to Monaco’s counter-attacks. The brilliant Ben Seghir threaded a delicate through-ball to Folarin Balogun, who outfoxed Leo Østigård before dinking past Steve Mandanda with a confident finish.

Rennes were statistically the most enterprising team in the first half, but Monaco’s ruthlessness and better individual quality made the difference. On a rain-soaked pitch, Rennes were more in control in the second half with Monaco players also feeling the strain of their midweek Champions League away game at Zagreb (2-2). But Julien Stéphan’s players were well too wasteful to threaten Köhn.

Despite the late introduction of marquee signing Jota, Rennes eventually conceded back-to-back Ligue 1 games and their fourth defeat in seven matches. With the international break looming and several changes of personnel afoot at the club, it might have been Stéphan’s final game in the Rennes dugout. As for Monaco, they remain unbeaten and are now top of the league before PSG’s trip to Nice.

Rennes players ratings

Steve Mandanda, 3

He conceded from Monaco’s first two shots on target and was uncomfortable through and through, lacking in authority in his penalty box and error-strewn in his distribution.

Alidu Seidu, 5

Leo Ostigard, 3

The former Napoli centre-back already had a torrid time last week dealing with Bradley Barcola and he disappointed again at home. He misplaced too many passes and was too easily beaten by Balogun for the centre-forward’s goal.

Mikayil Faye, 4

Hans Hateboer, 4

Azor Matusiwa, 5

Glen Kamara, 5

Adrien Truffert, 4

Ludovic Blas, 6

Arnaud Kalimuendo, 3

Expertly handled by Monaco’s three-man defense, he made little difference. Struck Köhn’s right post in the second half. Overall, not enough.

Albert Gronbaek, N/A

The Danish playmaker hobbled off the pitch before half-time, replaced by Algeria international Amine Gouiri.

Monaco players ratings

Philipp Köhn, 5

Wilfried Singo, 6

Thilo Kehrer, 6

Christian Mawissa, 5

Vanderson, 5

Lamine Camara, 6

Denis Zakaria, 6

The Switzerland international has arguably been so far the best overall Ligue 1 midfielder and he picked up where he left off in Brittany, winning the ball back numerous times, setting the press and dictating the pace of the game.

Kassoum Ouattara, 5

Takumi Minamino, 4

Folarin Balogun, 6

To his credit, the USMNT centre-forward made the most of the first clear goalscoring opportunity coming his way, which means he has now scored in Monaco’s last three league games. Other than that, he had a mostly unimpressive evening, until his replacement through injury.

Eliesse Ben Seghir, 7

The Morocco international shone through and was essential to his side’s victory, logging the assists for the visitors’ first two goals. He could also have had a goal to his name but his second-half curler could only find Mandanda’s crossbar. Replaced at the hour mark by Aleksandr Golovin.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval, reporting from Roazhon Park

However, it appears Juventus have little to no intention of allowing Pogba a way back into the Juventus squad, which is already packed in the midfielders’ department with Teun Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz, Khephren Thuram, Manuel Locatelli and Nicolo Fagioli. L’Equipe goes as far as saying that Pogba’s eventual return is a thorn in Juventus’ foot.

In his pre-game press conference, transcribed by the publication, Thiago Motta sounded less than certain that Pogba had a future in his plans. “The club will evaluate the situation and will take a decision if necessary”, Thiago Motta said. “As far as I’m concerned, Paul Pogba was a great player, he hasn’t played for a long time. I am focused on Sunday’s game, everything else does not matter much to me.”

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Several summer recruits are expected to get the nod from Julien Stéphan to start against the Monégasques. Former FC Barcelona defender Mikayil Faye is in line for his first Ligue 1 start as the left-sided centre-back in a three-man defense. Former Leeds United midfielder Glen Kamara is expected to start in a double midfield pivot alongside Azor Matusiwa. Marquee signing Jota is not set to start with Rennes carefully monitoring his return to full-match fitness.

Rennes likely line-up v Monaco

Steve Mandanda; Alidu Seidu, Leo Ostigard, Mikayil Faye; Hans Hateboer, Azor Matusiwa, Glen Kamara, Adrien Truffert; Ludovic Blas, Arnaud Kalimuendo, Albert Gronbaek

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Cloarec arrived at Rennes in 2021, firstly as an assistant CEO to club president Nicolas Holveck, before being named interim president in 2022, replacing Holveck who stepped down for health reasons. Holveck sadly passed away this year.

The reasons behind Cloarec’s dismissal by the club’s owners – luxury mogul billionaire François Pinault and his son, François-Henri – remain unclear, although Get French Football News understands that Cloarec’s discretion regarding the club’s sporting struggles this season – three league losses in six games – and the domestic TV rights deal debacle might have led the owners to question his leadership qualities. “I would like to pay tribute to Olivier’s commitment and exemplary professionalism in serving Stade Rennais F.C. in a complex context”, François-Henri Pinault added in Rennes’ club statement.

The latter indicates that his successor will be tasked to “inspire a new dynamic of success for Stade Rennais F.C. in the short, medium and long term”, which means Cloarec was no longer seen as the right man to spearhead Rennes’ ambitions. “I’m delighted and proud to be joining Stade Rennais F.C.” says Arnaud Pouille. “I’m already 100% committed to the future of this prestigious club, and I’d like to thank François-Henri Pinault for his confidence. I’m convinced that Stade Rennais F.C. has everything it takes to assert its sporting ambitions in the coming national and European competitions.”

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As a Lyon loanee, Lepenant won’t be able to feature this Sunday with Nantes taking on Les Gones at the Groupama Stadium. “We knew from the start that we were going to keep him”, Kombouaré said this Friday. “We pushed until the last moment to have him play against his parent club, which will soon no longer be because there is a good chance that he will stay with us.” Lepenant’s purchase option reportedly rises to €2.5m. The 21-year-old is therefore expected to sign a four-year deal with Nantes.

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The PSG youth product is not the only Chelsea player to feature in Deschamps’ squad. Centre-back Wesley Fofana is back as well after missing out on the last international break with Sevilla’s Loïc Badé called up in his absence. Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté and Arsenal’s William Saliba are logically in as well. After impressing against Belgium last time around, Aston Villa left-back Lucas Digne has earned a recall, which means Real Madrid’s Ferland Mendy may have lost his place as Théo Hernandez’s understudy.

Despite making his return for Real Madrid on Wednesday on the back of a femoral biceps injury, France captain Kylian Mbappé is out of the squad to allow him a full recovery.

After losing to Italy and winning against Belgium last month, France will continue their Nations League campaign in the A2 group with two away games. Les Bleus will travel to Budapest to face Israel on October 10 before locking horns, four days later, with Belgium at Brussels’ Stade Roi Baudouin.

Didier Deschamps France squad to face Israel and Belgium

Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens)

Defenders: Jonathan Clauss (Nice), Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Wesley Fofana (Chelsea), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool), Jules Koundé (Barcelona), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)

Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Youssouf Fofana (Milan), Matteo Guendouzi (Lazio Rome), Manu Koné (Mönchengladbach), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG).

Forwards: Bradley Barcola (PSG), Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), Randal Kolo Muani (PSG), Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich) Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan).

GFFN | Bastien Cheval