France manager Didier Deschamps will have to work around the absence of N'Golo Kante for Thursday's UEFA Nations League semi-final with Belgium at the Juventus Stadium.

The Chelsea lynchpin returned a positive coronavirus test last month and is self-isolating as he recovers, so Deschamps has a big call to make in the engine room, where Paul Pogba is a shoo-in.

Should the Bleus boss revert to a familiar 4-3-1-2 setup, Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni could complete the midfield triumvirate, with Jordan Veretout and Matteo Guendouzi making do with spots on the bench.

Deschamps elected to name a back three for their recent 2-0 World Cup Qualifying win over Finland, but a four-man rearguard should see Raphael Varane and Presnel Kimpembe form the barrier in front of Hugo Lloris.

Benjamin Pavard's return to the squad will likely mean a place among the substitutes for makeshift right-back Jules Kounde, with Lucas Hernandez edging out Lucas Digne and brother Theo Hernandez for the left-back spot.

Antoine Griezmann notched up both of his side's goals in the recent win over Finland and should continue in his usual role behind the two strikers, despite his slow start back to life at Atletico Madrid.

Up top, ageless Real Madrid man Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe - who recently admitted that he considered taking a break from Bleus duty - are expected to form the strike partnership with Olivier Giroud not in the squad.

France possible starting lineup: Lloris; Pavard, Varane, Kimpembe, Hernandez; Rabiot, Pogba, Tchouameni; Griezmann; Mbappe, Benzema

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