Laurent Bonadei has called up 30 players for the French team’s next two matches and will be able to count on the return of Marie-Antoinette Katoto, among others.
The coach of the French team Laurent Bonadei recalled on Thursday certain executives, including star striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto, injured during the first meeting in October, in a group expanded to 30 players to prepare for the matches against Nigeria, the November 30 and Spain on December 3.
«At the end of these two meetings, I will have a broad overview of 34 players which will allow me, in view of the Nations League in February, to make the best possible choices.» explained the former deputy of Hervé Renard at the head of the Bleues, during the announcement of his list at the Federation headquarters in Paris. Bonadei kept the backbone of the group which had beaten Jamaica 3-0 and lost against Switzerland 2-1 last October, but added the return of certain executives from the France team, injured during the first meeting of his mandate.
This is the case of the star striker of the France team and PSG, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, last minute package in October. Also returning is Lyon defender Selma Bacha, from her teammate Amel Majri, not selected for the Paris Olympics in July by Hervé Renard, whom Bonadei wanted to see again in blue, but who had also withdrawn from the first training course in October.
This is again the case of PSG midfielder Sakina Karchaoui, whom Laurent Bonadei wants to see evolve in the highest possible position on the pitch, or of Manchester United striker Melvine Malard. These significant offensive contributions forced Kelly Gago (FC Nantes) and Cindy Caputo (Saint-Etienne), who celebrated their first selections in October, to return with the U23s to this gathering.
Mbock and De Almeida uncertain
If Laurent Bonadei has selected so many players, it is also because the Blues will play two matches very close to each other with a minimum recovery time while the temperatures drop and the bodies fatigue. The two Parisian defenders Griedge Mbock and Élisa De Almeida are for example on the list, but, still injured and still not having returned to competition with their club, they should not play a single minute in the French team.
«There is very little chance that they will participate in the matches» did not hide the coach. “But I wanted to put them on the list so that I could talk with them (…) and it is possible that they will participate in part of the internship. They had already missed the first and I don’t want them to fall too far behind on these two courses which are the foundations of the project».
Les Bleues face Nigeria, the leading African nation in the FIFA rankings in 36th place, on Saturday November 30 in Angers (9:00 p.m.), before challenging the Spanish world champions on December 3 in Nice (9:00 p.m.). They will then compete in the group stage of the League of Nations – of which they were finalists in 2024 – from February 19 to June 3, then Euro-2025 from July 2 to 27 in Switzerland.
