Austria V France: Mbappe Will Never Go Against The Collective, Assures Deschamps
Kylian Mbappe is set to prioritise the team as he leads France into their Euro 2024 campaign against Austria, according to Didier Deschamps. After scoring 44 goals in his final season with Paris Saint-Germain and moving to Real Madrid, Mbappe will captain France for the first time at a major tournament following Hugo Lloris' retirement.
France are among the favourites, despite their early exit at Euro 2020, where they lost to Switzerland in a penalty shoot-out. Mbappe did not score in that tournament, but Deschamps is confident in his current form ahead of Monday's game in Dusseldorf.
"He is always at the centre of things. That won't change," Deschamps told The Athletic. "He will not do anything that goes against the collective interest. He is in very good shape, very happy, and concentrated on working hard."
Deschamps emphasised Mbappe's leadership qualities, stating, "He speaks but he is not there to be overbearing. He has always been part of a collective project, even if he is an extraordinary player who can make a difference on his own."
Austria, under Ralf Rangnick, have been highlighted as potential surprise contenders after finishing just one point behind Belgium in their qualification campaign. "If we're complete, then we're a team that is very hard to beat," said Rangnick.
Players to Watch
Austria: Marcel Sabitzer
Sabitzer was involved in six goals during Euro 2024 qualifying (four goals, two assists), the most of any Austrian player. He also created the most big chances (four) and had the highest expected assists figure (1.6 xA).
France: Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe has scored 12 goals across the last three major international tournaments (2018 World Cup, Euro 2020, and 2022 World Cup). However, all these goals came at World Cups. He failed to score at Euro 2020 and missed the decisive penalty against Switzerland.
Match Prediction
France enter Euro 2024 as one of the favourites, with an Opta supercomputer giving them a 19.1 per cent chance of winning the trophy. They have reached the final in three of their last four major tournaments and scored 29 goals in their eight qualifiers.
With players like Ousmane Dembele, Olivier Giroud, and Antoine Griezmann supporting Mbappe, France are expected to have too much for Austria. Austria have only won one of their last ten matches against France but managed one win apiece from their two previous tournament meetings.
Opta Win Probability
| Team | Win Probability |
|---|---|
| Austria | 15.5% |
| France | 65.8% |
| Draw | 18.7% |
0.58 - Among all players with 500+ minutes in the Serie A 2023-24, only Davide Frattesi recorded more non-penalty Expected Goals per 90 minutes (0.69) than Marko Arnautovic (0.58). Trouble. #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/zACUCUVNEq
— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) June 12, 2024
1 - France have won just one of their last four matches prior to making their debut in a major tournament (EURO + World Cup), with two draws and one defeat. Worrying? pic.twitter.com/oymdnJDT3u
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) June 9, 2024
???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????? ????????????????! #BleuCollectif pic.twitter.com/NbXbxHsKGs
— French Team (@FrenchTeam) June 12, 2024
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