Those tuning in to watch France play Iceland in the UEFA European Qualifiers will not see Paris Saint-Germain center-back Presnel Kimpembe in the starting lineup.
The Frenchman is the only PSG player in the squad. Kylian Mbappé was sent back to Paris for further treatment on his hamstring and Alphonse Areola is on loan at Real Madrid and is also on the bench with Kimpembe.
La compo de ce match important dans la course à la qualification pour l'EURO 2020 face à l'Islande ! 👊 Coup d'envoi à 20H45 sur TF1 ! #ISLFRA #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/dq0KJ5cBn4
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) October 11, 2019
At center-back, head coach Didier Deschamps went with the pairing of Clément Lenglet (FC Barcelona) and Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid) with Steve Mandanda (Olympique de Marseille) in goal.
The decision for Kimpembe to start on the bench wasn’t unexpected as Culture PSG reported. The 24-year-old faced Iceland last year in a match that ended 2-2 with the Frenchman struggling at times. We’ll be watching the match in hopes that PSG’s star defender gets an opportunity to impress against a team that got the best of him previously.
Several former PSG players did make the starting XI, including Blaise Matuidi (Juventus FC), Kingsley Coman (FC Bayern Munich), and Lucas Digne (Everton FC).
Those in the United States can watch Iceland vs. France via ESPN 2 and ESPN+.
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