Speaking ahead of France’s final Euro 2024 qualifier against Greece, Didier Deschamps has confirmed that RC Lens’s Brice Samba (29) will start in goal.
With France’s qualification for Euro 2024 already secured, Deschamps is expected to rotate his side considerably against Greece on Tuesday night. One of the positions where we will see a change is in goal. Mike Maignan is the established number one since Hugo Lloris’ retirement from international football, however, he will be rested.
Samba, who had a difficult start to the season, but has recently enjoyed an uptick in form is set to start in his place. The former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper remains ahead of West Ham United’s Alphonse Areola, as confirmed by Deschamps.
“Brice Samba will start in goal,” began Deschamps, in a pre-match press conference transcribed by Get French Football News. “Brice had, like the rest of his club, a difficult start to the season. But he’s a competitor and Lens have brought it back together. Alphonse is doing good things. He is playing Premier League matches and he is growing in calmness and is playing well. It is good that the hierarchy is defined, but that can change in the month of March or June. There is competition if I think it’s right to do things differently,” he added.
