France’s Mbappé to start vs. Poland with mask on

Kylian Mbappé will start in France‘s Euro 2024 Group D game against Poland on Tuesday.

France manager Didier Deschamps told the team in a meeting earlier Tuesday, the sources added.

The 25-year-old suffered a broken nose in France’s opening 1-0 win against Austria in a collision and was benched for their goalless draw with the Netherlands as he continued his recovery.

The striker did not require surgery after the incident but will have to wear a mask while on the pitch.

Mbappé scored two goals in a behind-closed-doors practice fixture Saturday.

Deschamps said in a news conference on Monday that Mbappé was “raring to go” for the Poland game but admitted the star forward’s vision was affected by the facial protection.

“No problems with breathing but the way he sees, yes,” Deschamps said. “For those who play with a mask, it’s not a constraint but it does limit your vision. He wears it because he needs to protect his face in certain incidents that could occur.”

France have already qualified for the round of 16 having beaten Austria and drawn with the Netherlands in their matches so far. To secure the top spot in the group, they need to better the Netherlands’ score line against Austria.

Poland have already been eliminated from Euro 2024 ahead of the final group game after losing their first two matches.