FIFA World Cup 2022: Kylian Mbappe raring to go, says France captain Hugo Lloris

In the other encounter defending champions France are confident that Kylian Mbappe will more than make up for the absence of the injured inform Karim BenzemaWhile many believe that Francersquos hopes of successfully defending their World Cup were dealt a huge blow with Ballon drsquoOr winner Karim Benzema being ruled out of the tournament with a left thigh injury their captain and coach think otherwiseFrancersquos Kylian Mbappe left and Hugo Lloris during a training session in Doha on Sunday PicAFPAnd both had a common reasonmdashKylian Mbappe 23 who became only the second teenager after Pele to score in a World Cup final when France beat Croatia 42 in the summit clash at Russia in 2018 With four goals in that tournament Mbappe was also named FIFA World Cuprsquos Best Young Player Mbappe has 28 international goals to his name in 59 games since 2017 see boxlsquoLived up to hope hypersquoldquoKylian has lived up to the hope and hype over the last few years Itrsquos difficult to find a limit with regards to Kylianrsquos potential He is engrossed in training and is raring to go on the pitch We want to get off to a flying start here We want to have the same experience we had at the 2018 World Cup We will progressrdquo Hugo Lloris 35 said at a press conference on the eve of their World Cup Group D opener against Australia at the Al Jaboub StadiumAlso readKarim Benzema ruled out of the FIFA world cup 2022Coach Didier Deschamps couldnrsquot agree more with his skipper ldquoMbappe was much younger in 2018 but he was mature And now he has become even more mature He has a lot more global recognition and responsibility now He has what it takes to stand out from the crowd His aura is second to none but at the same time he is a team player and needs players around him to excelrdquo said Deschamps who led France to the World Cup title in 1998 and the European Championships two years later before winning the World Cup as coach in 2018Benzema missed badly Lloris admitted however that Benzema will be sorely missed ldquoKarim being injured is hard for us We know how important he is within the team In fact not only for our team but also for French football and for younger players in our squad However despite the disappointment and sadness we have to get our heads down and carry on We have a young squad but our players are maturerdquo he saidSpeaking of their opponents Australia Lloris said that they can in no way be underestimated ldquoAustralia are a very competitive team Against Peru they have won here on penalties 54 in the AFCConmebol Intercontinental playoff in June this year in Doha They have a good mentality and resolve We need to be careful of their set pieces We also need to find our own balance and do well on the counters We want to have a lot of ball possessionrdquo he concludedKylian Mbappersquos goals for France World Cup 4 goals in 7 matches World Cup qualification 6 goals in 12 matches Euro qualification 3 goals in 5 matches UEFA Nations League 7 goals in 15 matches Friendlies 8 goals in 16 matches