Captain Mike. In the absence of Kylian Mbappé, package for the trip to Iceland as part of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, Didier Deschamps announced on Sunday morning on Téléfoot that he had chosen Mike Maignan to wear the captain’s armband on Monday evening (8:45 p.m.), as he had already done when the striker left after his ankle injury on Friday against Azerbaijan.
This will be the first time, for his 36th selection, that the Blues goalkeeper will be captain of the team at the start of a match. This is one of the many choices that Didier Deschamps must make before this trip to Iceland, potentially decisive for qualification, as his attack is decimated by the multiplication of packages (Mbappé, Barcola, Dembélé, Cherki, Doué, Thuram…)
“It’s not a headache,” explains DD to Téléfoot. I adapt. There are other players who are there and in whom I trust. I am counting on them for this difficult match, due to the context and the quality of the Icelandic team. This is a team that created problems for us at the Parc when we hosted them at the Parc des Princes. »
The Blues coach also specified that there would be “changes” in his starting eleven by the one who started against Azerbaijan. “I had anticipated the playing time a little with only three days between the two matches with a long trip, for recovery it is not ideal,” he concludes.
