Didier Deschamps recalled Raphael Varane to his starting XI for France's World Cup clash with Denmark.

Varane, who has not played since he was forced off with an injury in Manchester United's Premier League game with Chelsea on October 22, was one of three changes made to the France team for Saturday's game in Doha.

Deschamps confirmed on Friday that Varane had been fit to feature in the opening game, and had trained without any issues prior to France's second match of the tournament.  The former Real Madrid centre-back replaced Ibrahima Konate in France's XI.

Les Bleus head into the match at Stadium 974 knowing that victory would ensure their progression to the last 16.

The holders thrashed Australia 4-1 in their opening Group D game, though suffered another injury blow in that match, with Lucas Hernandez sustaining a serious knee injury.

Hernandez was replaced by his brother, Theo, and the latter started at left-back against the Danes, with Barcelona defender Jules Kounde replacing Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard at right-back.

Olivier Giroud will become France's all-time leading goalscorer the next time he finds the net, and the Milan forward was given the nod up top, leading a line that also included Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann.

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand made four changes.

Thomas Delaney was injured in the draw with Tunisia on Tuesday and makes way for Mikkel Damsgaard, while Victor Nelsson replaced Simon Kjaer in the defence and Jesper Lindstrom came in for Andreas Skov Olsen.

Andreas Cornelius missed a fantastic chance to seal the points for Denmark against Tunisia, hitting the post from a yard out, but he was handed a start in place of Kasper Dolberg.

Hansi Flick unequivocally dismissed the suggestion Germany lost their World Cup opener against Japan because they were distracted by the controversy surrounding the OneLove campaign.

Germany were one of several European teams planning to have their captains wear the OneLove armband to highlight discrimination and human rights abuses by World Cup host nation Qatar, where homosexuality is criminalised.

In response, FIFA threatened to apply "sporting sanctions" to the teams involved, who all subsequently backtracked on their commitment to wear the armbands.

Germany felt FIFA was attempting to "silence" them, and they responded by holding their hands over their mouths while lining up for a team photo before the match against Japan.

After they ended up losing to the Samurai Blue, some Germany critics tried to link their defeat to the idea they were distracted by their moral stance.

When Flick was asked if that was the case ahead of Sunday's pivotal clash with Spain, his response was blunt.

"No," he said followed by a long pause. "Not at all."

Flick was surprisingly attending Saturday's pre-match press conference alone.

Teams are contracted to attend the events with at least their head coach and one player, and they can be fined if they fail to adhere to those rules.

However, Germany are based in the very north of the country near Al Ruwais, meaning any player attending a press conference will be away from training for approximately three hours.

Given the crucial nature of Sunday's encounter, Flick was simply unwilling to compromise the team's preparations by allowing a player to attend, even if it means the German Football Association (DFB) potentially copping a fine.

"I came by myself to the press conference because we didn't want any player to spend almost three hours driving. We don't expect any player to drive for so long. It's a long drive," he said.

"It's a very important match, so everyone, all 26 players are important [for training], that's why we didn't want to take a player with us. They should now prepare for the training.

"I think we could have done [the press conference] in our media centre as well, that is really good, it would have been better. But we have to accept this."

Earlier on Saturday, Spain coach Luis Enrique said Germany were the team most similar to La Roja at the World Cup in terms of their style of play.

Flick concurred, and although Spain thrashed Costa Rica 7-0 on matchday one, the Germany coach chose to remain optimistic as he urged his team to be courageous at Al Bayt Stadium.

Asked about Luis Enrique's assessment, Flick added: "I can only confirm this. I think both teams, if you look at systems, it's one-to-one in each position, and this is what we tell our players, to be in position to win the duels.

"Spain, of course, is a team who have always played the 4-3-3 formation like Barcelona, regardless of their opponent. They then have clear automatic moves and we need to find a way against it, we have a plan and we hope to implement it.

"The main focus for me has been the football, I think I'm convinced about what we want to do, how we want to play football.

"[Germany's situation] could've been avoided, but we still stick to our guns because we have the quality. We can implement what we want.

"This is what it's all about, being brave, believing in our quality and going into the match like that."

James Maddison has joined team training with England for the first time since the World Cup began, having missed the Three Lions' first two fixtures in Qatar due to a knee injury.

Three years after winning his only senior cap to date, Maddison claimed a place in Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad after enjoying a fine run of form with Leicester City.

Maddison's tally of 11 Premier League goal contributions this season (seven goals, four assists) is only bettered by four players – Erling Haaland (21), Harry Kane (13), Kevin De Bruyne and Ivan Toney (both 12).

However, the attacking midfielder sat out England's first two Group B games – a 6-2 win over Iran and a goalless draw with the United States – after sustaining a knee injury in Leicester's most recent match against West Ham.

As England began their preparations for Tuesday's meeting with Wales on Saturday, Maddison played a full part in group training for the first time since the team arrived in Qatar.

"Fourteen players are out for today's session in Al Wakrah, with those who started yesterday's game taking part in a recovery session," read a fitness update issued by England.

"James Maddison returns to training following his rehabilitation, while Jordan Henderson is working indoors on an individual programme."

England lead the way in Group B ahead of the final set of first-round fixtures, and they will qualify for the last 16 providing they avoid a four-goal defeat against Rob Page's team.

The Three Lions have never faced another British side at the World Cup, but they are unbeaten in three such games at the European Championships (W1 D1 v Scotland, W1 v Wales).

Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic has lashed out at World Cup organisers and Canada boss John Herdman, stating his side "deserve respect".

The 2018 World Cup finalists opened their Qatar 2022 campaign with a goalless draw against Morocco in Group F, which kicked off at 1pm local time on Wednesday.

Speaking ahead of his side's next match however, Dalic hit out at FIFA, suggesting his team should have been handed a cooler, more favourable late-day slot for their match as incumbent runners-up.

"The fact that we played the first match at 1pm disturbed our rhythm," he stated. "I attribute our lack of energy in that first match to the early kick-off.

"The fact that Croatia plays at 1pm is not respectful. England, Spain, France and Brazil are not playing at that time. We are the runners-up in the [last] World Cup. This is not the attitude towards Croatia that it should be."

Dalic previously struck a more neutral tone over opposite number Herdman's comments, where he said his team must "F" Croatia after a narrow defeat to Belgium, despite arguably outplaying their European opponents.

However, he proved more angered by the words this time around, reinforcing again: "Croatia deserves respect from everyone. We have earned it with our games and results. 

"I will not pay attention to any comments. We will get ready and play football and be dignified towards Canada as well as towards others. But we deserve respect."

Herdman, meanwhile, is relishing the chance to face Croatia, adding: "It's a hell of a test for this team. We are excited. We have a hell of a match coming."

Luis Enrique has warned Spain against complacency heading into the mouth-watering World Cup showdown with Germany, who he feels will "hammer" La Roja if they are overconfident.

The 2010 champions launched their campaign in Qatar with a comprehensive 7-0 rout of Costa Rica on Wednesday, scoring seven goals in a single match at the finals for the first time.

La Roja could secure their last-16 place with a match to spare with victory over Germany, who they steamrollered 6-0 when the sides last met in the Nations League two years ago.

Following their shock defeat by Japan, Hansi Flick's side would subsequently be eliminated at the first hurdle for the second successive finals should Costa Rica fail to beat the Samurai Blue elsewhere in Group E.

Addressing the media at his pre-match press conference, Luis Enrique said: "We tried to manage the [Costa Rica] victory with all normality.

"It was resounding and that gives confidence, but we shouldn't have too much confidence. We face an opponent that will hammer us if we are overconfident.

"It's a great challenge. They've won a World Cup four times. We respect them greatly, they've great players and history is undeniable. 

"Germany are a very good team, so much mobility. If we can control that, great. Otherwise, I have to think about every single element."

He added: "But we are convinced we can beat Germany. We don't want a crazy open match because if they play a high block, we may take too many risks.

"There are many things we have to find out, but we need to follow our principles, which are very similar to theirs."

Meanwhile, forward Dani Olmo, who opened the scoring in the Costa Rica victory, urged his team-mates not to take Germany's defeat by Japan for granted, and focus on their own performance levels.

"Of course, they're under pressure, they need to win after loss against Japan," he said. "But we know they are one of the best in the world, and you cannot put them down after one game.

"It's a final for them, they need to win to get to next round, but we focus on our journey because we are through if we win.

"Hansi a great coach, he wants to dominate the game, he showed this in Bayern. 

"Most of their players play for Bayern, so we know the style, and they know us well, so we have to focus on our game."

Coach Graham Arnold wants his Australia players to swiftly forget their 1-0 World Cup win over Tunisia and turn their attention to securing qualification for the knockout stage against Denmark.

Mitchell Duke scored the only goal, glancing home Craig Goodwin's deflected cross in the 23rd minute, before the Socceroos withstood some concerted Tunisia pressure to secure their first win at a World Cup in 12 years and first clean sheet since 1974.

The win moves Australia on to three points and with renewed hope of advancing out of Group D. Next up on Wednesday is a clash with the Danes and that has already become the focus of Arnold's attention.

Asked about his approach to that game, he said: "We've got to see what the result is tonight [between France and Denmark] but nothing will change, we’ll focus on ourselves and getting ourselves right.

"I am very proud but we've achieved nothing. We can talk after about one win and that it hasn't been done for 12 years and all that stuff.

"We are here to go as far as we can go. I don't want the players sitting up all night looking at social media, we need to recover well and get ready for Denmark."

The goal was a special moment for Duke and he celebrated by making a J sign with his fingers to son Jaxson, who was watching on from the stands. Television images showed his son replying in kind.

Duke said: "I spoke to my son and told him I was going to score – you have to have that belief that you are going to score in every match. I told my son that I was going to share that moment with him."

The 31-year-old, who plays in Japan with second division side Fagiano Okayama, was reunited with Jaxson and daughter Chloe at the start of November and admitted it was difficult being apart from his family.

"Definitely, when the final whistle went and I was interviewed by TV, I was trying to hold back the tears," he added. "I have been on my own a lot over the last couple of years and there has been a lot of sacrifice. It's the best feeling in the world."

Tunisia must now beat defending champions France on Wednesday and hope other results go their way if they are to go through.

Coach Jalel Kadri bemoaned his side's lack of cutting edge but insisted all was not lost.

He said: "During the first half, we did not perform the way we wanted to, Australia led us into playing a style we did not like.

"They dominated the game, created one chance and scored and unfortunately we could not equalise. We changed tactics two or three times in the second half and created four or five chances but we were not clinical enough. They were very efficient in converting their chance.

"The World Cup has a surprise for everyone, even the larger teams have been beaten by the underdogs. We were not expecting to lose [to Australia] but we have one game to go and we will play our hearts out."

Cristiano Ronaldo's exit will not be an issue for any potential Manchester United buyers, believes football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

The Portugal forward has departed the Red Devils by mutual consent following an disappointing homecoming spell with the Old Trafford outfit.

Having been the face of the club since his return last year, Ronaldo's abrupt farewell - though likely in line with Erik ten Hag's vision for the club - sees United lose one of their prior assets, as the Glazer family mull a sale.

But speaking to Stats Perform, Maguire does not feel his exit will be a stumbling block to future investors mulling a takeover, particularly from a commercial standpoint.

"[The] club's bigger than the player," he said. "Cristiano Ronaldo thought he was bigger than the club. His management teams was more concerned about his brand tie-up than Manchester United products.

"Success hasn't existed at Manchester United for many years. If you've got Ronaldo on the back of your shirt, it simply means you've switched from having [Marcus] Rashford or [Bruno] Fernandes."

"You've still going to be one Manchester United shirt [even without Ronaldo], you're simply going to go and change a bit on the back of it."

News that the Glazer family - long opposed by a large section of supporters - are selling the club has been welcomed with open arms by the fanbase.

Maguire believes it has been a prosperous ownership period for them, if not the club, and that he understands the frustration felt by those who follow United.

"I think we're seeing an opportunity for some legacy owners to withdraw at a tidy profit," he added. "They can leave on a significant multiple of the original investment.

"[But] when they acquired the club, they did commit it to financial jeopardy. [Also[, when a club is no longer successful, you look for scapegoats.

"The Glazers are a lightning rod. They've got not connection historically to Manchester. Their relationship was purely financial.

Maguire concedes on-field success would paint a different picture however, adding: "If Manchester United had won the Premier League for four years out of the last five... I'm not saying that fans are fickle, but fans are fickle."

Youssoufa Moukoko is keen to commit his future to Borussia Dortmund by signing a new contract after making his World Cup debut for Germany.

Moukoko has scored a team-high six Bundesliga goals this season, making 14 appearances for BVB – eight of them from the start – during a breakthrough campaign.

However, the forward's contract with Dortmund expires at the end of the season, and interest in him is likely to increase after he became the youngest German player to make a World Cup appearance in Wednesday's surprise defeat to Japan (aged 18 years and three days).

Moukoko's second-half introduction also made him the youngest player to make a World Cup appearance overall since Nigeria's Femi Opabunmi against England in 2002 (aged 17 years, 101 days).

Despite speculation linking him with a move, Moukoko has outlined his desire to pen a new deal with Edin Terzic's men, telling RND: "I get the confidence of the coach, Edin is like a father to me. 

"I feel very comfortable in Dortmund, I know the environment, my friends are there. 

"I love the club, the fans love me, I hope. Not everyone can say that about themselves. I would really like to stay in Dortmund, I have everything there."

However, the absence of Sebastien Haller – who has undergone treatment after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in July – may have contributed to Moukoko's increased involvement, and the teenager wants to be certain of his place in Dortmund's long-term plans. 

"You will see what that means for me. I want to know exactly what the club intends to do with me in the future," he added.

"I want to develop further and without games, I just can't develop. I don't want my development to stop again. I think that's quite normal because that perspective is important to me."

Roberto Martinez will expect a vast improvement from his Belgium side when they go in search of a record-breaking World Cup win over Morocco on Sunday.

The Red Devils were fortunate to beat Canada 1-0 in their first match of the tournament on Wednesday courtesy of a clinical finish from Michy Batshuayi.

Canada were the better side and Alphonso Davies had a penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois before Batshuayi secured all three points.

Belgium looked shaky at the back and got away with a lacklustre performance, Canada failing to find the back of the net with 22 attempts in the opening match of only their second World Cup.

But if Belgium beat Morocco, they will become the first team in World Cup history to win nine consecutive group games.

Morocco held Croatia to a goalless draw in their first Group F match and are plotting to spring a surprise at Al Thumama Stadium this weekend.

The Atlas Lions have injury concerns over Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui for the encounter in Doha.

Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku has been back in training as he works his way back from a thigh injury, with head coach Martinez having stated no timeframe has been set on when he might return

Kevin De Bruyne says even if the Red Devils' all-time record goalscorer is only able to take his place on the bench, that would give the squad a lift.

The inspirational midfielder said: "I don’t know how he is, he has been training with us and also apart these days.

"I must admit that he is a player who helps the team a lot, you can feel his presence on the pitch. 

"I don't even know if he will be there against Morocco, but if he were to start from the bench he would be an extra weapon in the game."

Belgium are unbeaten in their four World Cup meetings with African teams and came out on top when the two nations met at the 1994 showpiece, Marc Degryse scoring the only goal of the game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Belgium - Michy Batshuayi

In the absence of Lukaku, Batshuayi stepped up to get Belgium off to a winning start as they rode their luck in midweek.

He had five of Belgium’s nine shots and was the only player to register an attempt on goal for the Red Devils before being replaced in the 78th minute.

If Belgium can exert more control on the game, Batshuayi is capable of rewarding them as he should be full of confidence after his decisive strike.

Morocco - Hakim Ziyech

A lack of goals has been a big issue for Morocco in World Cup matches, with the stalemate versus Croatia being the ninth time in 17 games they have failed to find the back of the net.

Hakim Ziyech is one of the players who is capable of getting them firing in Qatar, where he had two shots and created as many chances against Croatia.

The Chelsea winger has shown he can has the quality to produce moments of magic with his wand of a left foot, which Belgium will be wary of.

PREDICTION

Belgium will be expected to make it two wins out of two despite an uninspiring start.

According to Stats Perform's AI model, Martinez's men have a 48.7 per cent chance of securing a record-breaking victory.

Morocco will have seen weaknesses to exploit in that Belgium display against the Canadians and they are rated as having a 26 per cent chance of pulling off a shock victory, with the draw at 25.3 per cent.

Christophe Galtier believes success in the Champions League should not define his ongoing project at Paris Saint-Germain.

PSG have been dominant force in France over the past decade, winning eight Ligue 1 titles while also capturing the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue on six occasions.

But the coveted Champions League crown has continued to elude Parisian giants, who came closest to landing it when they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the 2020 final.

PSG will face Bayern once more in the last 16 of this season's competition, but head coach Galtier thinks his future at the club should not depend on their performances in Europe.

"There are 10 teams that every season aim to win the Champions League, and only one achieves it," he told Marca. "And then, the other nine who have not succeeded, do we have to fire their coaches? No.

"It's very difficult to win the Champions League. I'm not looking to protect myself, but the big European clubs have this goal and don't change everything because they don't win it.

"There are several examples. Atletico [Madrid] reached the final twice and when they did not win, the club continued to believe in [Diego] Simeone and his sporting project. The same goes for Pep Guardiola. [Manchester City] haven't won yet, but the club still believes in their ideas.

"I think it would be a mistake to change PSG's sports project if the Champions League is not won. I think it's a process, obviously not a 10-year one, but what shouldn't be is that if we don't win this year, we change everything."

Despite being unbeaten in six matches, PSG only advanced to the knockout stages as group runners-up for a second successive season, as Benfica snatched top spot in Group H by virtue of scoring more away goals.

Galtier's side conceded seven goals - with only RB Leipzig (nine) and Eintracht Frankfurt (eight) shipping more against the teams that progressed to the last 16 - and the head coach insists they must tighten up to embark on a long run in the competition. 

"We have conceded too many in the Champions League," he added. "Obviously, there is a difference in level between the Champions League and our championship. But if we want to go far in the Champions League, we must improve our defensive level.

"Nothing is easy in the Champions League. In addition, no one in the analysis has taken into account the difficulty of the calendar this season. It is the first time in the history of football with such a compact and difficult calendar.

"Practically every week, there were Champions League games. I think that's why some teams that normally made it past the group stage haven't. We have played in three and a half months what we normally played in four or five months."

A first-half header from Mitch Duke was enough to see off Tunisia and ignite Australia's hopes of progressing to the World Cup knockout stages in a 1-0 victory.

Duke converted Craig Goodwin's left-wing cross in the 23rd minute with the Socceroos having to withstand some late pressure to secure a win that means they head into their final Group D clash with Denmark with all to play for.

Tunisia have a solitary point from their two games and will have to beat defending champions France on Wednesday and hope other results go their way.

Australia shaded a frantic opening but could not profit from a series of crosses into the Tunisia box.

Delivering the ball from wide areas was clearly a key part of the Australia strategy and it paid dividends midway through the first half. Duke started the move with a deft touch in midfield before racing into the box to cleverly glance Goodwin’s deflected cross past Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen.

Tunisia grew as an attacking force as the first half progressed and could have levelled twice before the break.

After 41 minutes, robust play from Issam Jebali saw him pick out Mohamed Drager at the far post only for defender Harry Souttar to race across to block his goalbound shot.

The tireless Jebali then turned up on the right but his low centre was fired wide by captain Youssef Msakni.

Tunisia dominated possession in the second half but their desperation to find an equaliser almost saw them undone again after 71 minutes - substitute Jamie Maclaren escaping down the left before delivering a low cross that was inches in front of the sliding Mathew Leckie.

A second goal was not required in the end as Australia's resolute backline - in which Souttar was outstanding - did enough to keep Tunisia out and register just the Socceroos' second clean sheet in 18 World Cup matches.