Barcola accompanies Mbappé, Dembélé and Olise in France's attack

France's national team manager, Didier Deschamps, has announced a potent attacking formation for their upcoming 2026 World Cup Round of 16 clash against Sweden. Leading the line will be star forward Kylian Mbappé, accompanied by Ousmane Dembélé and the emerging talent Bradley Barcola, who gets the nod over Désiré Doué. Michael Olise completes the attacking quartet.

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France coach Didier Deschamps has chosen Bradley Barcola, instead of Désiré Doué, to accompany Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé in the attack for Tuesday's World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match against Sweden.

In defense, William Saliba, who missed the final group stage game against Norway due to a lingering issue, is set to start after receiving specific treatment. Lucas Digne has also been reinstated at left-back, taking the place of Théo Hernández. The rest of the starting lineup features Mike Maignan in goal, with Dayot Upamecano and Jules Koundé in central defense, and Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrien Rabiot anchoring the midfield.

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Saliba, who missed the last group stage match against Norway due to discomfort he has been carrying this season, will also start after specific treatment.

France enters this knockout stage match with an impeccable record, having secured convincing victories in all three of their group stage games against Senegal, Iraq, and Norway. The team's concentration was recently tested by the passing of Deschamps' mother, prompting his temporary return to France, though he has since rejoined the squad and will be present on the sidelines.

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Lucas Digne also regains the left-back position, at the expense of Théo Hernández.

Sweden, on the other hand, qualified for the knockout rounds as one of the best third-placed teams. Their tournament journey has been marked by contrasting performances: a dominant 5-1 win against Tunisia was followed by a heavy 5-1 defeat to the Netherlands. A 1-1 draw with Japan in their final group match was enough to secure their passage. The winner of this match will advance to face either Paraguay or Germany in the quarterfinals.

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France comes from achieving a perfect group stage, with resounding victories against Senegal (3-1), Iraq (3-0) and Norway (1-4).