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France star Aurelien Tchouameni said his team were aiming to make Didier Deschamps ‘as proud as possible’ as they go into their final World Cup group game against Norway on Friday without their coach, who has returned home to attend his mother’s funeral.“It is a difficult time for everyone. Our objective is to make him as proud as possible,” Real Madrid midfielder Tchouameni told reporters at France's base near Boston on Thursday.Deschamps learned the news of his mother's death on Tuesday and has flown back to France to attend the funeral on Friday, before he then returns to the United States to be with his squad."I am thinking a lot about Didier and his family. We are deeply affected by what has happened," said assistant coach Guy Stephan, who will lead the team in their final Group I match against the Norwegians at the Gillette Stadium."I am just trying to make a difficult situation as normal as possible."For Deschamps, the news came the day after France beat Iraq 3-0 in Philadelphia to make it two wins out of two at the tournament and seal their place in the knockout stages."Didier called me early in the morning so I went to see him in his room," said Stephan."He told me the bad news and very quickly he asked me to lead the team until he gets back, which will be on Saturday."Stephan, 69, previously took charge of the France team for a UEFA Nations League game in 2022, following the death of Deschamps' father."I feel like I don't belong here in front of you. I belong on the training ground," Stephan added."This is a cruel situation for Didier and his family and so we need to just get through the third match."France and Norway are level on six points each from two games, meaning both have qualified already. But France have a superior goal difference so will advance as group winners with a draw.The winners of Group I will play a last-32 tie against a third-placed finisher in New Jersey on June 30.The group runners-up will play in Dallas the same day against the runners-up in Group E.Arsenal centre-back William Saliba will not feature for France against Norway as he nurses a back problem.Stephan indicated that Maxence Lacroix of Crystal Palace will replace him in the starting line-up.

Kylian Mbappe is receiving treatment for a "small niggle" in his right ankle after meeting up with his international team-mates ahead of the latest round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers, France coach Didier Deschamps said Monday.The France captain sustained the knock at the end of Real Madrid's 3-1 La Liga victory over Villarreal on Saturday, casting doubts over his availability to the national team for their upcoming qualifying matches against Azerbaijan and Iceland."I spoke with Kylian, he had a small niggle but it's not serious, otherwise he wouldn't be here today," Deschamps told reporters at the French team's Clairefontaine base near Paris."We will take the time with the medical staff to assess the situation and then see how it develops."Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate also underwent tests, after coming off injured in the Reds' 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday.The pair received treatment on Monday during training and are set to continue treatment on Tuesday, according to the French national team's coaching staff.The French football federation (FFF) also confirmed Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola would be sent home from Clairefontaine due to a hamstring injury."After consulting with the French national team doctor... (Barcola) has been diagnosed with a chronic injury to his right hamstring since Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League match against Atalanta (on September 17)," the FFF said.PSG then publicly rejected the diagnosis of the 23-year-old by France's medical team."The information published in this statement does not correspond in any way to the medical information provided by Paris Saint-Germain's medical teams," the club posted on social media."Prior to the gathering (at Clairefontaine) and following the Ligue 1 matchday 7 fixture against Lille, Paris Saint-Germain provided the French national team with a medical report on Bradley Barcola that made no mention of any chronic injury following the match against Atalanta."The attacker played 60 minutes of PSG's Ligue 1 draw at Lille on Sunday before being replaced, showing no apparent signs of injury during the encounter.Should Barcola end up facing time on the sidelines, he would be a further addition to PSG's lengthy injury list which already includes fellow France forwards Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue, as well as Marquinhos, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves.Last month there was friction between the two parties after PSG criticised the French national team staff following injuries suffered by Dembele and Doue during France's opening Group D win over Ukraine.Les Bleus are top of their group with two wins from two so far in qualifying. They host Azerbaijan on Friday at PSG's Parc des Princes stadium before travelling to Iceland three days later.