Benzema heaps praise on France teammate Kylian Mbappe ahead of Euro 2020

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema received a call up to the national squad for the first time since 2016. The French striker has been instrumental for Real Madrid since the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo. When asked about his inclusion in the French side, Karim Benzema said that he is very grateful for this decision made by Didier Deschamps and added, "I think I've already said it. But do you want me to say it again? Thanks, Didier." His entry into the side will definitely help the French team as he is a pure number 9 and can combine brilliantly well with Kylian Mbappe.

In his interview, Benzema was seen praising his fellow Frenchman. He said," I do not like to compare, Mbappe is still a young player, a phenomenon." The French team comes into the tournament as the World Champions and will be hoping to carry on their dominance in the Euro Cup as well. France look to have a perfectly balanced side with a mix of brilliant young talents and some quality experienced players. Karim Benzema's performance in this competition will be crucial because he will face competition from Olivier Giroud who he is likely to replace in the starting line-up. Giroud was a key player for Deschamps in the 2018 world cup. Even though he ended the tournament without scoring, the coach was really pleased by his performances in the World Cup. 

France are in the toughest group with teams like Germany, Portugal and Hungary in the mix. The winner of this group could quite possibly be the winner of the Euros and France will be hoping to come out on top and do that. The tag of 'World Champions' is a tough one to carry and the Euros are the perfect chance for them to prove their brilliance.

France Euro 2020 Squad

Goalkeepers; Mike Maignan, Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda

Defenders: Raphael Varane, Jules Kounde, Lucas Digne, Benjamin Pavard, Lucas Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, Clement Lenglet, Kurt Zouma, Leo Dubois

Midfielders: Paul Pogba, Moussa Sissoko, N'Golo Kante, Adrien Rabiot, Corentin Tolisso

Forwards: Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Kingsley Coman, Thomas Lemar, Ousmane Dembele, Wissam Ben Yedder, Karim Benzema, Marcus Thuram

France Predicted starting 11 for Euro 2020

Formation: 4-3-3

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris

Defenders: Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Kiempembe, Luca Hernandez

Midfielders: Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Moussa Sissoko

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe 

France Euro 2020 Schedule

Group F: France vs Germany 

 Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich on June 16 at 12:30 AM IST [June 15 at 9:00 PM local time]

France vs Hungary 

Venue: Puskas Arena on June 19 at 6:30 PM IST [June 19 at 3:00 PM local time]

France vs Portugal 

Venue: Puskas Arena on June 24 at 12:30 AM IST [June 24 at 9:00 PM local time]

Picture credits: Equipe de France/Twitter