Both sides ended their group-stage on the losing note, with Les Bleus suffering a dramatic 1-0 defeat to Tunisia, while Poland were beaten 2-0 by Argentina.
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Defending champions France, who broke the World Cup ‘Jinx’ by winning Group D to qualify for the knockouts, will take on Poland in the Round of 16 encounter at Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday. Both sides ended their group-stage on the losing note, with Les Bleus suffering a dramatic 1-0 defeat to Tunisia, while Poland were beaten 2-0 by Argentina. France managed to secure top spot in Group D courtesy of pocketing six points from three games. The Eagles, meanwhile, collected four points to sneak through to the last-16 stage.
𝘾𝙇𝙐𝙏𝘾𝙃 ! Ousmane a fait gagner son équipe lors du jeu de fin d’entraînement 🤩 https://t.co/Wux2ecHpc0 pic.twitter.com/0xtL3if09U
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) December 2, 2022
France began their campaign with a dominant 4-1 win over Australia before getting the better of Denmark 2-1 and securing qualification to the knockouts. Therefore, French head coach Didier Deschamps was not afraid to ring changes for the final group against Tunisia, but the second string side couldn’t keep up the winning run. Wahbi Khazri’s lone goal in the 58th-minute separated the two sides at the Education City Stadium on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Antonio Griezmann put the ball inside the net, on the stroke of the final whistle, but VAR intervened to rule the Atletico Madrid-man’s goal out for offside. Despite the defeat, Deschamps’ side held on to the top spot in Group D. Meanwhile, the two-time winners became the first defending champions to make it out of the group since Brazil in 2006.
Poland, on the other hand, managed to enter the last-16 courtesy of a superior goal-difference, compared to Mexico, who also finished with four points. Czeslaw Michniewicz’s side went into the final group-match with a defensive game plan, knowing that a draw was enough for them to qualify for the next round. But the South American champions produced their best performance of the Qatar World Cup and found the back of the twice to secure three points. Alexis Mac Allister broke the deadlock immediately after the restart before Julian Alvarez doubled the lead in the 67th minute. Meanwhile, the Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny denied Lionely Messi from the penalty spot in the first half, and produced some brilliant saves to help his side progress to the knockouts by the skin of their teeth.
France defender Lucas Hernandez, who sustained an ACL injury in the 4-1 win over Australia in their opening fixture, has been sent back home, while his replacement Theo Hernandez has reportedly been nursing an ankle issue, but is likely to be available for Sunday’s game. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has recovered from a back problem to make the bench against Tunisia. The big guns, Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Griezmann among others will return to the starting eleven against the Whiter-Reds. As for Poland, Michniewicz has a fully fit squad at his disposal. Barcelona-man Robert Lewandowski is likely to lead the line, with Arkadiusz Milik in support. Szczęsny, who has already saved two penalties in the tournament, is in brilliant form, and is expected to be protected by the back-four of Cash, Glik, Kiwior and Bereszynski.
France probable starting lineup: Lloris, Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, T Hernandez, Tchpuameni, Rabiot, Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe, Giroud
Poland probable starting lineup: Szczesny, Cash, Glik, Kiwior, Beresznski, Frankowski, Bielik, Krychowiak, Zielinski, Lewandowski, Milik
France
| Opponents | Score |
| Tunisia | 1-0 (L) |
| Denmark | 2-1 (W) |
| Australia | 4-1 (W) |
| Denmark | 2-0 (L) |
| Austria | 2-0 (W) |
Poland
| Opponents | Score |
| Argentina | 0-2 (W) |
| Saudi Arabia | 2-0 (W) |
| Mexico | 0-0 (D) |
| Chile | 1-0 (W) |
| Wales | 0-1 (W) |
| Last 5 matches (all competitions) | Results |
| France beat Poland | 0-1 |
| France draw Poland | 0-0 |
| France beat Poland | 1-0 |
| France draw Poland | 1-1 |
| Poland draw France | 0-0 |
The FIFA World Cup match between France and Poland will take place at Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday at 8:30 pm IST.
| France vs Poland | Key Details |
| Date | December 4 |
| Venue | Al Thumama Stadium |
| Kickoff time in India | 8:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in France | 4:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in Poland | 4:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in Qatar | 6:00 pm |
The FIFA World Cup in Qatar can be seen on Sports18 – 1 SD & HD – in India. Sports 18 will be telecasting the games on the regular and HD Channels. Besides, Viacom18 Sports announced that Jio Cinema will live-stream all the World Cup games. Besides, the match between France and Poland can be seen on beIn Sports connect, Molotov, TF1 and beIN Sports 1 in France; and TVP Sport network in Poland.
