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regular-article-logo Monday, 23 December 2024

France defense hit by injuries ahead of European qualifier against Netherlands

Two players replace defenders Jules Kounde and Dayot Upamecano, says French soccer federation

Reuters, AP/PTI Paris Published 10.10.23, 09:53 AM
Barcelona and France defender Jules Kounde after getting injured during the La Liga match against Granada on Sunday. Tests on Monday revealed Kounde has a sprained left knee and is ruled out for five weeks.

Barcelona and France defender Jules Kounde after getting injured during the La Liga match against Granada on Sunday. Tests on Monday revealed Kounde has a sprained left knee and is ruled out for five weeks. Twitter

Malo Gusto and Axel Disasi have been called up as injury replacements ahead of France’s match against the Netherlands in qualifying for the European Championship.

The two players replace defenders Jules Kounde and Dayot Upamecano, the French soccer federation said on Monday as the French squad gathered at the team’s training camp outside Paris.

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France take on the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday. Les Bleus will then host Scotland in a friendly game in the northern city of Lille on October 17.

Kounde picked up a left knee injury while playing for Barcelona in the La Liga on Sunday. Upamecano injured his left hamstring this weekend with Bayern Munich.

Their withdrawals follow that of Arsenal defender William Saliba, who was replaced Sunday by Jean-Clair Todibo in France’s squad.

France lead Group B and will qualify for the tournament hosted by Germany next year if it beats the Netherlands, or if they draw and Greece lose against Ireland.

Bukayo Saka also will not join up with England for the international fixtures.

Saka missed a Premier League game for the first time since May, 2021 as Arsenal earned a 1-0 win over Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday, ending a streak of 87 consecutive appearances.

His failure to recover from a hamstring injury will keep Saka out of England’s friendly against Australia on October 13 and the European Championship qualifier against Italy four days later.

England manager Gareth Southgate said he would be cautious with Saka.

European soccer’s governing body Uefa has postponed all matches scheduled to take place in Israel over the next two weeks after Hamas’ attack.

“In light of the current security situation in Israel, UEFA has decided to postpone all matches scheduled in Israel in the next couple of weeks with new dates to be confirmed in due course,” Uefa said in a statement on Sunday.

That includes Israel’s match against Switzerland in 2024 European Championship qualifying, which had been scheduled for Thursday at Tel Aviv’s Bloomfield Stadium.

“UEFA will continue to closely monitor the situation and will remain in contact with all teams involved before making decisions on new dates and on potential changes to other upcoming fixtures,” Uefa said.

Israel’s Euro 2024 qualifier at Kosovo on October 15 could also be affected with Uefa saying it “reserves a few more days to assess” whether the match can take place on that date “or requires postponement.”

Israel’s European Under-21 Championship qualifiers against Estonia and Germany on Thursday and October 17, respectively, have also been postponed.

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