The French team is about to play their second group stage match of the FIFA World Cup, and Deschamps has warned players not to underestimate their opponents.
France faced Senegal in their first match, and despite a somewhat difficult first half, they still won 3-1. Next, France will play their second match of this FIFA World Cup against Iraq. On paper, this is the easiest opponent in Group I.
Based on the strength comparison, there seems to be a significant gap between France and Iraq, who are ranked 60th by FIFA. However, Deschamps still reminded the players not to be complacent or underestimate their opponents. A video released by the French Football Federation on social media on Saturday showed Deschamps cautioning the players in the locker room before training: "Don't think of them as a small team in your mind, because that's not the case."
Deschamps then explained to the players why they should never underestimate the "Lions of Mesopotamia." He said: "Do you know Bolivia? A good South American team... Iraq defeated them 2-1 away in the play-offs. You know Spain, right? Yes, that was a friendly match, but they still drew 1-1 with Spain. And in their first FIFA World Cup match against Norway, Norway is a good team, up until the 75th minute, Iraq was only trailing 1-2. They then conceded two more goals in the final stages, and Norway ultimately won 4-1."
Iraq has the ability to trouble strong teams, and therefore could also pose difficulties for Mbappé and his teammates. Deschamps emphasized: "None of you should think that just because we are France, this match will be easy. Because other teams might think that way. Some strong teams, when playing against weaker teams than Iraq, think that they will eventually open up a gap, but they don't. I don't want this to happen to us, I don't want us to just wait for the game to naturally open up."
Deschamps also listed Iraq's characteristics: "This is a very disciplined team that plays simply, with a 4-4-2 formation, with two tall forwards, Ayman Hussein and Ali Hamadi, and some technically good players in the team, and they are not weak in physical contests."
France's match against Iraq will be played in Philadelphia, with kickoff at 5 AM on Tuesday, Beijing time (CEST).