Poland and France are set to face off in a crucial Euro 2024 showdown, with Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe, two of the best scorers in the continent, likely to go head-to-head with one another.
Les Bleus are one of the favorites to win this tournament but are yet to win their group, sitting tied with the Netherlands on four points. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winners could even finish third in Group D.
This means Tuesday's game is a must-win fixture for the two-time FIFA World Cup champions. Should Mbappe feature, fans will look to him for inspiration in front of goal. However, the newly-signed Real Madrid superstar has been handed a warning by Lewandowski following his unfortunate nose break on Matchday 1.
While Kylian could feature in Tuesday's game, the Frenchman will do so wearing a face mask following his nasty collision with Austrian center-back Kevin Danso in his side's opening game. Lewandowski offered his rival words of advice after undergoing a similar ordeal in 2015.
The Polish striker, who was then a Bayern Munich player, suffered a fracture to his jaw and nose, thus necessitating a face mask. The 35-year-old was quick to remind his counterpart the difficulty of having to play 90 minutes while wearing a mask.
"When I had to wear a mask myself, it wasn't nice. It's quite annoying, especially in the penalty area, I had problems, I didn't react, I couldn't see, my field of vision was hampered…" the Polish striker said, as per Goal.
"It's a few milliseconds but it can slow down a player. It's a challenge, it's not pleasant, but of course a player's health is more important. For a competition, emotions are very high and everyone wants to play at all costs. I understand the difficulties he faces."
Regardless, Mbappe appears set to start against Poland for understandable reasons. While Didier Deschamps' side are one of the most star-studded squads in world football, France are yet to score in this tournament.
The French beat Austria 1-0 in their opening game but that came courtesy of an own goal. In their following match, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winners drew 0-0 with the Netherlands and were fortunate to avoid defeat after VAR controversially overturned what would have been a Xavi Simons winner.
Mbappe and Co. could mathematically finish third in their group, which they must avoid at all costs. Here is a full breakdown of the group and all its permutations ahead of the third and final group-stage round.