Reigning World Cup champions France will be in action for the first time at Qatar 2022 this evening as they start their title defence against Australia.
Kylian Mbappé, who was the breakout star when Les Bleus triumphed in Russia four years ago, will be eager to repeat his success at this tournament.
And he will be hoping that he fares better in his first outing than his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Lionel Messi, whose Argentina side succumbed to a shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia earlier on Tuesday.
What TV channel is France vs Australia on tonight?
France vs Australia kicks off at 7pm (UK time – Qatar is three hours ahead) on Tuesday 22 November, with the match taking place at the at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah.
It’s being televised on BBC One, with the build-up starting at 6.30pm. Gary Lineker is presenting the coverage, with commentary from Jonathan Pearce and Danny Murphy.
The 2022 World Cup is being broadcast on free-to-air television in the UK with BBC and ITV sharing the rights.
All matches being aired by the BBC are therefore also available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer or the BBC Sport website.
What can you expect from France vs Australia?
While the defending champions are undoubtedly the clear favourites against Australia, France are missing several big names as they launch their title defence.
Most recently, the squad has been rocked by the withdrawal of Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema.
The striker was forced out of the tournament with a thigh injury, joining a list of absent senior players including N’Golo Kanté, Presnel Kimpembe, Paul Pogba and Christopher Nkunku.
However, Didier Deschamps insists his squad can cope with their growing injury list, even though Benzema’s exit robs them of a significant voice around the group.
The manager said: “You think I can just click my fingers and someone can say, ‘OK, I will be a leader, I will give pep talks and lead the squad to victory’? No, it’s something that comes with time.
More from Football
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, it can’t happen overnight, but we have what we need. We have enough players who are able to stimulate, get others going, talk in the dressing rooms, on the pitch, on the sidelines.”
With so many big names missing, there is even more of an onus on Mbappé to become the team’s leader in Qatar.
The 23-year-old, who took the 2018 World Cup in Russia by storm, already has 28 international goals and will be hoping to add to that number against Australia.
Deschamps said: “Kylian’s still young, but he’s already done some great things. The four years since (the World Cup) have helped him gain in maturity and to gain even more recognition worldwide.
“He’s always had the ability to make a difference and we’ll need it here. He’s one of the few players who has that.”
Australia manager Graham Arnold was asked how he treated a superstar of Mbappé’s calibre, replying: “His strengths, his speed.
“He’s a winger who cuts inside on his right foot and shoots. We need to have players who are ready for that.”
What TV channel are the other World Cup fixtures on?
Here is the full TV schedule for the group stages:
Sunday November 20
- Qatar v Ecuador, 7pm, BBC
Monday 21 November
- England v Iran, 1pm, BBC
- Senegal v Netherlands, 4pm, ITV
- USA v Wales, 7pm, ITV
Tuesday 22 November
- Argentina v Saudi Arabia, 10am, ITV
- Denmark v Tunisia, 1pm, ITV
- Mexico v Poland, 4pm, BBC
- France v Australia, 7pm, BBC
Wednesday 23 November
- Morocco v Croatia, 10am, ITV
- Germany v Japan, 1pm, ITV
- Spain v Costa Rica, 4pm, ITV
- Belgium v Canada, 7pm, BBC
Thursday 24 November
- Switzerland v Cameroon, 10am, ITV
- Uruguay v South Korea, 1pm, BBC
- Portugal v Ghana, 4pm, ITV
- Brazil v Serbia, 7pm, BBC
Friday 25 November
- Wales v Iran, 10am, BBC
- Qatar v Senegal, 1pm, BBC
- Netherlands v Ecuador, 4pm, ITV
- England v USA, 7pm, ITV
Saturday 26 November
- Tunisia v Australia, 10am, BBC
- Poland v Saudi Arabia, 1pm, ITV
- France v Denmark, 4pm, ITV
- Argentina v Mexico, 7pm, ITV
Sunday 27 November
- Japan v Costa Rica, 10am, ITV
- Belgium v Morocco, 1pm, BBC
- Croatia v Canada, 4pm, BBC
- Spain v Germany, 7pm, BBC
Monday 28 November
- Cameroon v Serbia, 10am, ITV
- South Korea v Ghana, 1pm, BBC
- Brazil v Switzerland, 4pm, ITV
- Portugal v Uruguay, 7pm, ITV
Tuesday 29 November
- Ecuador v Senegal, 3pm, ITV
- Netherlands v Qatar, 3pm, ITV
- Iran v USA, 7pm, BBC
- Wales v England, 7pm, BBC
Wednesday 30 November
- Tunisia v France, 3pm, BBC
- Australia v Denmark, 3pm, BBC
- Poland v Argentina, 7pm, BBC
- Saudi Arabia v Mexico, 7pm, BBC
Thursday 1 December
- Canada v Morocco, 4pm, BBC
- Croatia v Belgium, 4pm, BBC
- Japan v Spain, 7pm, ITV
- Costa Rica v Germany, 7pm, ITV
Friday 2 December
- Ghana v Uruguay, 4pm, BBC
- South Korea v Portugal, 4pm, BBC
- Serbia v Switzerland, 7pm, ITV
- Cameroon v Brazil, 7pm, ITV
The knockout schedule on BBC and ITV will be confirmed in due course.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/MYvcrfg
Post a Comment