France Eyes World Cup Revenge Against Argentina and Spain

PARIS: William Saliba, the French centre-back, voiced his optimism regarding his team’s potential to challenge and even outperform both Argentina, the current world champions, and Spain, the reigning European champions, in the upcoming World Cup.

In the 2022 World Cup, France concluded their campaign as the second-place team, succumbing to Argentina in a penalty shootout after a captivating final, considered among the most thrilling in the tournament’s history.

Meanwhile, Spain has solidified its position as a formidable team, securing the European Championship the previous year with a victory over France in the semi-finals.

Ahead of Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan, Saliba conveyed his team’s confidence and resolve to exhibit a strong performance in the approaching tournament.

Acknowledging the accomplishments of both Spain and Argentina, the Arsenal defender stated that France is prepared to confront them once more and seeks to avenge their previous defeats on the grandest stage.

“The World Cup is in eight months. It’s true that Spain and Argentina have claimed victory in the most recent major competitions. Nevertheless, we are not intimidated by them. My hope is that we qualify and are afforded the opportunity to exact our revenge during the World Cup,” Saliba stated.

France is currently at the top of Group D in the World Cup qualifying stages, boasting six points from their initial two matches.

Following their match against Azerbaijan, currently at the bottom of the group, at the Parc des Princes, Les Bleus will journey to Reykjavik to play against Iceland, who are currently in second place, three days later.

Saliba, who was absent from France’s initial qualifying matches against Iceland and Ukraine due to an injury, is keen to establish his presence as he aims to earn his 29th cap for Les Bleus.