Dembele and Doue ready to start for France
Didier Deschamps has confirmed that both Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue are likely to start in France's final warm-up game, against Northern Ireland, before the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins.
France will conclude its preparations for the tournament on Tuesday (AEST) at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, with Les Bleus hoping to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat to Cote d'Ivoire.
That loss ended a nine-game unbeaten run for France, and only on three occasions has it lost successive matches under Deschamps, in September 2024.
Both Dembele and Doue were unused substitutes in that match for France after they were involved in Paris Saint-Germain's UEFA Champions League triumph over Arsenal.
However, Deschamps confirmed the pair would start if it is available, with the France boss aiming to get a better feel for who will be in his starting team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
"Yes, but there are others here. He [Doue] is a very young player who has just celebrated his 21st birthday. He is decisive with his club, with us too," Deschamps said.
"He has the versatility, although I think he's more comfortable on one side.
"This ability to eliminate, dribble and make a difference, with a high volume of play, which is not always the case for an attacking player. It gives us an extra quality player.
"If they [Doue and Dembele] are available, they are ready to start, yes."
Deschamps said after the defeat to Cote d'Ivoire that the result could prove useful if it prevented his players from becoming complacent before the tournament begins.
The likes of Michael Olise and Rayan Cherki were both given the chance to shine from the off, with the latter putting France ahead with a fine finish in the 45th minute.
France made 10 changes in that match, with Maghnes Akliouche, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Manu Kone all getting minutes, although Deschamps revealed he would not be making as many substitutions for the visit of Michael O'Neill's Northern Ireland side.
"I have the possibility to make changes, as it's a preparation match," Deschamps added.
"But I'm not going to make five at half-time like in the last game, because the objectives are a little different. But I will make changes, obviously, to manage certain players."
Deschamps is wary of the threat Norther Ireland possesses, saying: "In this [Northern] Ireland team, there are a lot of good players who play in England, with young players too.
"They have a lot of verticality in their game. It's obviously important for us to finish our preparation with a win.
"I thank Northern Ireland for accepting because between the teams who wanted to play in the United States or at home and those who didn't want to play against us."
