Barcola believes France's liquid attack can break down defensive Paraguay

France's Bradley Barcola celebrates scoring their second goal
France's Bradley Barcola celebrates scoring their second goalReuters/Vincent Carchietta

France are aware they ⁠will need to break through a compact defence when they meet Paraguay ‌in their World Cup last-16 match on Saturday, ‌but they can do it ‌with their attacking trio enjoying their football ‌at the tournament, France forward Bradley Barcola said ‌on Thursday.

Les Bleus have been impressive so far, winning all four matches, ‌scoring 13 goals and conceding two. 

Captain Kylian ‌Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Barcola have netted 12 ​of them.

"I enjoy immensely playing like that," Barcola told a ​press conference. "We pass, attack and defend together. These are great players and that ⁠is why it ​works so well. It is a joy to play together."

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They eased into the last 16 with a confidence-boosting ‌3-0 victory over Sweden on Tuesday, while the South Americans stunned four-times champions Germany 4-3 on penalties.

"We know it will be complicated," Barcola said of Paraguay's deep defending. "We have to find alternatives and we will do that. I hope it keeps working well for us ‌until the end."

Temperatures on Saturday ​in Philadelphia are expected to top ‌36 degrees Celsius but Barcola said that while it would drain them a bit more, the team had got used to the warm weather ⁠during the ⁠weeks-long tournament in ‌North America.

World Cup 2026

The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament will feature 48 national teams and will be played in 16 modern stadiums.

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