Didier Deschamps' France have overcome an untimely bout of the flu just in time for the FIFA 2022 World Cup final against Argentina.
Five players were infected and three missed training on Friday because of the outbreak, while two more stars were sidelined with injuries.
Raphael Varane, Ibrahima Konate and Kingsley Coman were the most recent struck by the flu bug, after Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano missed the semifinal victory over Morocco.
Meanwhile, Deschamps refused to rule out a shock return to the France squad for Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema, although it seems very unlikely he'll play a part now.
The Ballon d'Or winner has been absent throughout the finals through injury but was not removed from the squad, and could still be reinstated despite returning to Real Madrid training.
Asked about the possibility, Deschamps kept his cards close to his chest by saying: "I don't really want to answer that question. Next question. I do apologise."
Could the 34-year-old really be involved? We take a look at the likely lineup for the world champions below.
France confirmed lineup vs Argentina
(4-3-3, right to left): 1. Lloris (GK) — 5. Kounde, 4. Varane, 18. Upamecano, 22. T. Hernandez — 7. Griezmann, 8. Tchouameni, 14. Rabiot — 11. Dembele, 9. Giroud, 10. Mbappe
- Injured: None
- Suspended: None
Deschamps has opted to name Dayot Upamecano alongside Raphael Varane in defence, despite Ibrahima Konate's outstanding semifinal performance against Croatia.
But his team is expected otherwise, with Adrien Rabiot returning to the midfield after overcoming illness and both Aurelien Tchouameni (hip) and fullback Theo Hernandez (knee) fit enough to start.
Kingsley Coman also takes his place on the bench having shaken off the flu that caused him to miss training on Friday.
And there is, of course, no shock return to the squad for Karim Benzema despite rumours that he might make an appearance earlier this week.
MORE: FIFA World Cup final 2022 start time: Kickoff details and venue for championship match in Qatar
France World Cup squad
Here are the 25 names on France's current World Cup squad in Qatar (Caps correct as of start of Qatar 2022):
| Position | No. | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | 23 | Alphonse Areola | West Ham (ENG) | 29 | 5 |
| GK | 1 | Hugo Lloris | Tottenham (ENG) | 35 | 139 |
| GK | 16 | Steve Mandanda | Rennes (FRA) | 37 | 34 |
| DEF | 3 | Axel Disasi | Monaco (FRA) | 24 | 0 |
| DEF | 21 | Lucas Hernandez | Bayern Munich (FRA) | 26 | 32 |
| DEF | 22 | Theo Hernandez | AC Milan (ITA) | 25 | 7 |
| DEF | 24 | Ibrahima Konate | Liverpool (ENG) | 23 | 2 |
| DEF | 5 | Jules Kounde | Barcelona (SPA) | 23 | 12 |
| DEF | 2 | Benjamin Pavard | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 46 |
| DEF | 17 | William Saliba | Arsenal (ENG) | 21 | 7 |
| DEF | 18 | Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich (GER) | 23 | 7 |
| DEF | 4 | Raphael Varane | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 87 |
| DEF | 13 | Youssouf Fofana | Monaco (FRA) | 23 | 2 |
| MID | 25 | Eduardo Camavinga | Real Madrid (SPA) | 19 | 4 |
| MID | 6 | Matteo Guendouzi | Marseille (FRA) | 23 | 6 |
| MID | 14 | Adrien Rabiot | Juventus (ITA) | 27 | 29 |
| MID | 8 | Aurelien Tchouameni | Real Madrid (SPA) | 22 | 14 |
| MID | 15 | Jordan Veretout | Marseille (FRA) | 29 | 5 |
| FWD | 11 | Ousmane Dembele | Barcelona (FRA) | 25 | 28 |
| FWD | 20 | Kingsley Coman | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 40 |
| FWD | 9 | Olivier Giroud | AC Milan (ITA) | 36 | 114 |
| FWD | 7 | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 31 | 110 |
| FWD | 10 | Kylian Mbappe | PSG (FRA) | 23 | 59 |
| FWD | 26 | Marcus Thuram | Bor. M'Gladbach (GER) | 25 | 4 |
| FWD | 12 | Randal Kolo Muani | Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) | 23 | 2 |
