Thuram hopes for France debut

Nine Borussia players are in line to appear in international friendlies on Wednesday evening. Marcus Thuram could make his debut for Les Bleus.

Marcus Thuram (photo: imago images / PanoramiC) is in the France squad for the first time. The striker could celebrate his debut for the reigning world champions on Wednesday evening when they take on Finland in a friendly in Paris (21:00 CET). “We have been watching Marcus for a long time now. He has huge potential and a really interesting profile, so now is the time to call him up,” said France head coach Didier Deschamps last week.

Elsewhere on Wednesday evening, Germany face the Czech Republic in Leipzig (20:45 CET). Head coach Jogi Löw has named Florian Neuhaus and Jonas Hofmann in the squad alongside Matthias Ginter. Both Neuhaus and Hofmann earned their debuts at international level last month. While Ginter is one of eight players who will take no part in Wednesday’s friendly, the other two Foals will be available for selection from the start in Leipzig. Both players want to use their time with the Germany squad to further stake their claim for a regular spot. “If I can keep performing, and if we are successful as a team at Borussia, then I could be here to stay,” said Hofmann.

Yann Sommer, Nico Elvedi and Breel Embolo form part of the Switzerland squad that takes on Belgium in Leuven on Wednesday (20:45 CET). Meanwhile, Austria can count on Stefan Lainer and Valentino Lazaro for their trip to Luxembourg (20:30 CET).

On Thursday, Ramy Bensebaini’s Algeria will play Zimbabwe on matchday three of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations (20:00 CET). Algeria won both of their first two games and lead the group, two points ahead of their upcoming opponents in second.