Three Round of 32 fixtures light up Tuesday, with Netherlands facing Morocco at Estadio BBVA, Ivory Coast hosting Norway at AT&T Stadium, and France taking on Sweden at MetLife Stadium. The headline selection call is whether Didier Deschamps sticks with his four-match winning formula against a Sweden side whose inconsistent form invites French confidence.
Netherlands v Morocco
The central tactical question is whether Ronald Koeman has any reason to deviate from the 3-4-2-1 that delivered results in the group stage, and with no injuries reported and solid WDWWD form, we expect the answer to be no.
Netherlands (3-4-2-1)
| Pos | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | Bart Verbruggen |
| CB | Jan Paul van Hecke |
| CB | Virgil van Dijk |
| CB | Nathan Aké |
| RWB | Denzel Dumfries |
| CM | Ryan Gravenberch |
| CM | Frenkie de Jong |
| LWB | Micky van de Ven |
| AM | Crysencio Summerville |
| AM | Cody Gakpo |
| ST | Brian Brobbey |
Morocco (4-2-3-1)
| Pos | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | Yassine Bounou |
| RB | Achraf Hakimi |
| CB | Jawad El Yamiq |
| CB | Chadi Riad |
| LB | Noussair Mazraoui |
| DM | Ayyoub Bouaddi |
| DM | Neil El Aynaoui |
| RAM | Brahim Díaz |
| CAM | Azzedine Ounahi |
| LAM | Bilal El Khannouss |
| ST | Ismael Saibari |
Morocco's biggest selection doubt surrounds whether Walid Regragui opts to introduce Abderrazak El Kaabi for more physical presence up front in place of Saibari, but we expect continuity to win out given the DDWWD upturn in form.
Ivory Coast v Norway
The key tactical angle here is whether Emerse Faé's Ivory Coast can exploit Norway's exposed wide channels with the direct running of Nicolas Pépé and Arnaud Djoum Diallo, making the width of their 4-2-3-1 the most important variable in this fixture.
Ivory Coast (4-2-3-1)
| Pos | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | Y. Fofana |
| RB | G. Doué |
| CB | O. Kossounou |
| CB | O. Diomande |
| LB | C. Operi |
| DM | I. Sangaré |
| DM | F. Kessié |
| RAM | A. Diallo |
| CAM | N. Pépé |
| LAM | Y. Diomande |
| ST | A. Bonny |
Norway (4-3-3)
| Pos | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | E. Selvik |
| RB | F. Aursnes |
| CB | H. Falchener |
| CB | L. Østigård |
| LB | F. Bjørkan |
| CM | K. Thorstvedt |
| CM | P. Berg |
| CM | T. Aasgaard |
| RW | Oscar Bobb |
| ST | J. Strand Larsen |
| LW | A. Schjelderup |
Norway's x-factor is Martin Ødegaard: we expect him to come off the bench rather than start given the cautious management of his minutes through the group stage, but his introduction in the second half could decide the tie if it is level.
France v Sweden
France arrive on a four-match winning run and we see no tactical reason for Deschamps to disrupt a 4-2-3-1 that is creating and converting at will, while Sweden's 3-4-3 will demand discipline from the wide areas.
France (4-2-3-1)
| Pos | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | M. Maignan |
| RB | J. Koundé |
| CB | D. Upamecano |
| CB | M. Lacroix |
| LB | T. Hernández |
| DM | A. Tchouaméni |
| DM | M. Koné |
| RAM | O. Dembélé |
| CAM | M. Olise |
| LAM | D. Doué |
| ST | Kylian Mbappé |
Sweden (3-4-3)
| Pos | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | J. Widell Zetterström |
| CB | G. Lagerbielke |
| CB | I. Hien |
| CB | P. Helander |
| RWB | A. Bernhardsson |
| CM | V. Lindelöf |
| CM | Y. Ayari |
| LWB | E. Stroud |
| RW | A. Elanga |
| ST | V. Gyökeres |
| LW | A. Isak |
The selection doubt for Sweden centres on whether head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson trusts Linus Bergvall to replace Lindelöf in a more attack-minded midfield role given the scale of the challenge, but we expect the defensive pragmatism of the previous XI to hold.
All three lineups are built from confirmed tournament squads and the most recent available starting XIs. Late fitness tests and pre-match tactical shifts can always alter these calls, so check back for any updates closer to kickoff.
This article was researched and drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team.