Having struggled in the group stage, Vincent Collet’s men face the Canadians in the quarter-finals of the Olympic tournament. A revival of the Blues is expected against one of the best teams in the world.
France’s place in the quarter-finals of the Olympic tournament may have been decided by a basket by Matthew Strazel against Japan. His performance did not convince anyone and the decisive match against Germany highlighted too many weaknesses in the Blues’ game for us to be optimistic about their journey. Until then, they give the impression of moving forward in quicksand or pedaling in the void without any safety net. To darken the picture a little more, fate offered the five tricolors Canada in the quarter-finals of the tournament. Without doubt one of the best teams in the world after the Dream Team, led by a Shai Gilgeous Alexander who has been on fire for a few days.
An expected surge
As we enter this second phase and move to Bercy Arena, the Blues have very little reason to be optimistic against an opponent who crushed them (95-65) a year ago in the World Cup. There was indeed a desire to change things on a mental and tactical level, such as Evan Fournier’s desire to find a better balance between defense and attack, but even this constructive analysis nearly broke the bond of trust between Collet and the main French offensive asset.
The French surge and awakening will surely come through a more accomplished agreement between the three elements of his attack trident (Fournier, Gobert and Wembanyama). The San Antonio star must also be a little more dominant under the circle and the task will not be easy against the poison Dilon Brooks. Gobert, unrecognizable until now, can only do better, finding his defensive abilities will be precious against players he is used to meeting during the regular season. Because 10 of the 12 Canadians play in the NBA, an important element for the French who rub shoulders with them and who know their different characteristics, their strengths and their weaknesses well.
A unit to be found
Against Gilgeous Alexander, Dwight Powell and RJ Barrett, the key to victory will be a more solid start to the match and a desire to fight for every ball. Nicolas Batum said yesterday that despite the existing conflicts, Collet will have no choice and should line up the best players, even those who do not share the coach’s ideas. He will have to rely on a less frequent rotation of players than in the first round to preserve the rare automatisms that the team has. This is not reassuring in terms of the unity of the Blues, but no one will want this to be Collet’s last match on the bench. Against Canada, it will be an opportunity to put all differences aside to go for a prestigious victory against one of the favorites and qualify for the semi-finals of their Olympics.
What time will the meeting take place?
The match between France and Canada will start at 6pm this Tuesday. It will take place at the Bercy Arena.
On which TV channel is France – Canada broadcast? The match between the Blues and the Canadians will be broadcast on Tuesday, August 5 at 6 p.m. on France Télévisions and Eurosport..
What streaming broadcast for the France – Canada match? ? To follow the match in streaming, you must go to the France TV platform (free) or you can watch on the dedicated platforms Max d’Eurosport or MyCanal.
Possible teams
The five returning from Canada: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, RJ Barrett, Dwight Powell, Luguentz Dort. Replacements: Melvin Ejim, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Trey Lyles, Jamal Murray, Andrew Nembhard, Kelly Olynyk and Khem Birch.
The five returning from France: Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier, Victor Wembanyama, Matthew Strazel, Rudy Gobert. Replacements: Isaïa Cordinier, Bilal Coulibaly, Nando De Colo, Ousmane Dieng, Nadir Hifi, Elie Okobo. Jaylen Hoard, Mathias Lessort, Vincent Poirier, Guerschon Yabusele.