By Filip Mishov
Paraguay searching for a maiden win against France in Philadelphia
Paraguay plunged Germany into a crisis when José Canale’s decisive penalty sent his side in to the Round of 16 for the first time since the 2010 World Cup, and now, the goal of Gustavo Alfaro’s squad is to replicate the national team’s biggest success, when they reached the quarter-finals that year in South Africa. The White and Red are not producing the most eye-catching performances, especially in attack, but their defensive resilience is on par with the best at the tournament, and only Spain and Mexico (both 3) kept more clean sheets than the Paraguayans (2) in the group phase, while no team is averaging more tackles made per match (25.8).
In contrast, France are displaying a free-flowing, almost EA Sports FC-like attacking style of football, and Kylian Mbappé & co. cruised past Sweden with ease in the Round of 32 to further establish themselves as the leading favourites for the tournament. Les Bleus lead the way in terms of goals per match (3.3), shots on target (8.5) per match and are averaging a FotMob rating of 7.59, making them an absolute menace for the opponents. Also, the French are undefeated in five (3W, 2D) meetings against Paraguay in their history, a run that includes a couple of wins from the 1958 and 1998 World Cups, with Didier Deschamps being part of the squad which celebrated on the latter occasion at the same knockout stage of the tournament.
Key players
Gustavo Gómez is Paraguay’s undisputed leader on the pitch, and the experienced centre-back is averaging 6.7 clearances per 90 and is one of the few players in the squad who has played each and every minute of the tournament. The 33-year-old kept Germany’s forwards at bay for most of their last game, making 10 defensive contributions, and even though France’s attack will be much more difficult to contain, the captain will have to play a big part.
Michael Olise is thriving in the No. 10 role behind Kylian Mbappé and the flamboyant Frenchman is close to tying Pelé’s all-time assist record (6) from the 1970 World Cup after proving a couple of assists against Sweden. The 24-year-old is averaging a FotMob rating of 8.31 and no player has created more big chances at the tournament (five) while if it was not for the hot Golden Boot race, the Bayern Munich forward would have featured more prominently in the conversation for the Golden Ball award.
Team news
Marcus Thuram missed the matches against Norway and Sweden, respectively, as the centre-forward is struggling with a calf injury and remains doubtful, although Didier Deschamps boasts plenty of other attacking options.
Omar Alderete suffered a muscle injury and Sunderland’s centre-back is still absent from first-team training after missing the match against Germany in the Round of 32, with the centre-back’s availability questionable to say the least
Prediction
With Paraguay maintaining just 31.2% of possession or the second lowest out of the 48 national teams featuring at the tournament, France will enjoy plenty of time on the ball, and I expect the favourites to find a way to unlock the Paraguayan defence one way or another to secure their place in the quarterfinals.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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