Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland will lead their teams into one of the biggest matches of the World Cup on Friday when France face Norway in the decisive Group I fixture.
Real Madrid forward Mbappe and Manchester City striker Haaland have both enjoyed outstanding tournaments. Each player has scored four goals and trails only Lionel Messi, who leads the Golden Boot race with five goals.
The match kicks off at 3:00 pm local time (2000 GMT) in Foxborough, near Boston. The winner will finish top of Group I.
France hold the advantage after comfortable wins over Senegal and Iraq. Their better goal difference means they need only a draw to finish first.
Norway have also impressed. They opened with a 4-1 win over Iraq before beating Senegal 3-2 to book their place in the knockout stage.
Despite Norway’s strong form, one team official admitted France remain the favourites.
“They will probably beat us, and they could go on to win the tournament,” he said.
France Deal with Deschamps’ Family Loss
France have faced an emotional week after manager Didier Deschamps left the squad following the death of his mother.
Assistant coach Guy Stephan has taken charge of preparations.
“I am thinking about Didier and his family,” Stephan said. “I am simply trying to keep everything as normal as possible during a difficult time.”
Haaland Enjoys His First World Cup
Haaland has embraced his first World Cup with confidence. He has impressed on the pitch and enjoyed spending time in New York without attracting much attention.
After Norway secured qualification for the knockout stage, Haaland dismissed suggestions that his team could win the tournament.
“Absolutely not,” he told Fox Television.
“We have won 12 competitive matches in a row. We are making history, and I am proud to be Norwegian.”
He also shrugged off the challenge of facing France.
“I couldn’t care about playing France,” he said.
France Want Easier Route
France know that first place in the group could give them a more favourable route to the final on 19 July.
If they finish second, they could face Ivory Coast in the last 32 before a possible meeting with Brazil in the last 16. England could wait in the quarter-finals, while Argentina could stand in the semi-finals.
Spain Chase Group H Victory
Spain will try to finish top of Group H when they meet Uruguay in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Uruguay must avoid defeat to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive after drawing 2-2 with Cape Verde.
Spain need only one point to secure first place.
Cape Verde will hope to continue their remarkable campaign when they play Saudi Arabia.
Egypt Face Iran Amid Pride Match Debate
Egypt will attempt to finish top of Group G when they play Iran in Seattle.
Seattle officials had already chosen Friday’s match as the city’s official Pride Match before organisers confirmed the participating teams.
Officials from both Iran and Egypt criticised the Pride celebrations.
Iran bans homosexuality under Islamic law and can impose the death penalty in some cases. Egypt often prosecutes same-sex relationships under laws linked to “debauchery”.
Belgium Target Knockout Stage
Belgium will also fight for a place in the knockout rounds.
The experienced squad, led by Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, must beat New Zealand to progress.
