France vs Poland: How to watch live, stream link, team news
Defending world champions France will begin their journey through the knockout rounds when they face Poland in the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup on Sunday.
STREAM FRANCE vs POLAND LIVE
Only twice in the history of the World Cup has a defending champion defended their title and went back-to-back. Italy did it in 1934 and 1938; Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. 60 years later, Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and captain Hugo Lloris hope to join those legendary sides for the rest of time.
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Here is everything you need for France vs Poland.
Kick off: 10am ET, Sunday (December 4)Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium, DohaTV channels en Español: TelemundoStreaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Key storylines, players to watch closelyFor France, the group stage was a bit of a mixed bag results-wise, but the quality of performances was undeniable. Les Bleus hammered Australia, the eventual Group D runners-up, 4-1 in the opener, followed by a 2-1 victory over Denmark in game no. 2 and a surprising 1-0 defeat to Tunisia with next to nothing to play for in the finale. After losing Karim Benzema to injury during training just two weeks ago, on top of N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba going down long before the tournament began, Mbappe (3 goals, 1 assist) and Griezmann (1 assist) shouldered the load in the group stage. 22-year-old midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni was the only player to start all three group games, as Didier Deschamps gives the Real Madrid star a crash course in World Cup football.
Despite having Robert Lewandowski, one of the best strikers of his generation, Poland managed just two goals during the group stage — both in the same game, their only win, against Saudi Arabia. On the flip side, keeping two clean sheets (also against Mexico) proved the difference in elimination and advancement. Poland are one of four sides (Australia, Morocco and Japan being the others) to have held less than 40 percent of possession and make it through to the knockout rounds.
France quick factsCurrent FIFA world ranking: 4World Cup titles: 2 (1998, 2018)World Cup appearances: 15How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (Won Group D)Coach: Didier DeschampsKey players: Kylian Mbappe, Hugo Lloris, Antoine Griezmann
Poland quick factsCurrent FIFA world ranking: 38World Cup titles: 0World Cup appearances: 5How they qualified: Qualified from AFC via the intercontinental playoffsCoach: Graham ArnoldKey players: Mathew Ryan, Aaron Mooy, Mathew Leckie
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