Kylian Mbappe is expected to start and serve as captain for France’s final group match against Poland on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Julien Laurens.
The 25-year-old Mbappé broke his nose during France’s opening match, a 1-0 win over Austria. He avoided surgery but did not play against the Netherlands despite being on the bench for the 0–0 draw.
Mbappe will wear a protective mask for the rest of the tournament, which could affect his view of the pitch.
“No problems breathing, but as he sees, yes,” France manager Didier Deschamps said on Monday. “For those playing with a mask, it is not a restriction, but it does limit your vision. He wears it because he needs to protect his face in certain incidents that may occur.”
Deschamps is reportedly set to return for his team Mbappe for Tuesday’s match after the Real Madrid star scored twice in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Saturday.
France is currently level with the Netherlands in Group D with 4 points. Austria is right behind them with 3 points and already eliminated Poland is at the bottom of the group with 0 points.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout portion of the tournament. The top four third-place teams from the six groups will also advance to the round of 16.
