France’s Barcola expecting physical Paraguay clash at World Cup

WALTHAM: France forward Bradley Barcola warned on Thursday that Paraguay would bring a physical approach when the sides meet in the World Cup last 16 in Philadelphia.

Didier Deschamps’ free-scoring side have won all four games at the tournament so far and will start as overwhelming favourites against Paraguay on Saturday.

Barcola, though, said Paraguay’s shock win over Germany on penalties in the last 32 showed France have to be ready to grind it out, with scorching temperatures expected for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

“It’s a team that defends a lot. They’re going to dish out a lot of knocks,” Barcola told reporters.

“But they are also a footballing team. We saw that against Germany.”

Asked about the defensive tactics Paraguay are likely to employ, Barcola said he was not concerned, pointing to similar experiences in Ligue 1 with Paris St-Germain.

“We know it’s going to be difficult, but personally I’m starting to get used to it in Ligue 1. We’ll have to find alternatives,” he said.

Defender Jules Kounde also cautioned against underestimating Paraguay, describing them as a difficult opponent capable of hurting teams on the counter-attack.

“They are a tenacious team,” Kounde said. “They also have the qualities to play, build from the back and take advantage of counter-attacks. They have players who can do that.

“We’re expecting a difficult match and we’ll have to be strong and impose our game.”

France head into the knockout clash as one the tournament’s most prolific team, having scored 13 goals. Kylian Mbappe has six of those, while Ousmane Dembele has netted four. Barcola bagged his second of the World Cup in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Sweden.

Barcola said the team’s attacking players were thriving on their freedom and understanding on the pitch.

“We play like we’re back in the neighbourhood. We take the ball, we pretty much do what we want, we don’t overthink it, and that’s how it works,” he said.

Kounde said the bond between France’s attacking players had been a key factor behind their impressive form.

“We’re having a huge amount of fun playing together,” said the Barcelona right-back. “You can see it in many things with our four attacking players: how they pass the ball to each other, how they celebrate goals and the words they exchange.

“Togetherness is very important if we want to go far.”