Three days before the final against Argentina, France internationals Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot have returned to team training. The Bayern Munich defender and the Juventus midfielder completed a session with the team on Thursday, the French association said. On the other hand, winger Kingsley Coman from FC Bayern, who stayed ill at the hotel, was not in training.
Team boss Didier Deschamps reported after the 2-0 win over Morocco in the World Cup semifinals that Coman had a fever. According to the association, his participation in the final on Sunday (4 p.m., live on ORF1) is not at risk. Regular players Upamecano and Rabiot were also absent due to illness in the semi-final against Morocco. Deschamps justified the many cases of illness in the team with the falling temperatures in Qatar and the air conditioning. “The players give everything on the pitch, of course their immune systems suffer,” said Deschamps.
Argentina can again count on full-backs Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna, who were suspended against Croatia, in the final. The veteran Angel di Maria, who was recently struggling with a thigh injury, should also be fit. Like Lionel Messo, the 34-year-old was there in 2014 when the “Albiceleste” also advanced to the final. Di Maria missed the game against Germany (0-1 aet) at the time due to injury.