Roma star Kone expecting to be benched for France World Cup semi final
Quick summary
Roma midfielder Kone expects to start on the bench for France in their World Cup semi final, according to the player himself.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceRoma midfielder Manu Koné could be benched in favour of Aurelien Tchaouameni for the World Cup semi-final against Spain, though Milan’s Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot will start.
The match is scheduled for Tuesday evening, with the winner going on to face either Argentina or England in the Final.
According to L’Equipe , Real Madrid midfielder Tchaoumeni has fully recovered from his muscular issues and is going to be risked from the start.
Koné set to step aside for France FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JULY 09: Manu Kone #6 of France and Ayyoub Bouaddi #6 of Morocco compete for the ball during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium on July 09, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) He had been replaced by Roma player Koné , who had impressed so much that former Genoa coach Patrick Vieira said he was the best midfielder currently in the France squad.
Nonetheless, the reports from the Bleus camp suggest he will be pushed to the bench for the big match by Tchaouameni.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 30: Manu Kone #6 of France inspects the pitch before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between France and Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 30, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images) The Roma star was on the bench for the games against Senegal and Sweden, but started the others with Iraq, Norway, Paraguay and Morocco.
There is still going to be Serie A representation in the form of Milan pair Maignan and Rabiot.
The trio of Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappé are untouchable, but the other big choice for Didier Deschamps is between Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola.
Other than that, it is set to be the same XI that beat Morocco in the quarter-final.
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What happened
Roma midfielder Kone has indicated he is not expecting to be in the starting XI for France's World Cup semi final. The French international, who has featured for Les Bleus during the tournament, anticipates a substitute role. His comments suggest France manager Didier Deschamps is likely to deploy a different midfield configuration for the crucial knockout match. For Roma, Kone's tournament run has nonetheless boosted his profile heading into the Serie A season.
Chance analysis
A player's pre-match assessment of being benched is a meaningful lineup signal but not confirmation. For prediction systems, this lowers the probability Kone starts and slightly raises the expected substitute impact. For Roma, the underlying story is about squad depth and international experience rather than an immediate competitive effect.
Kone's expected bench role reduces his projected impact in the semi final, with no significant effect on Roma's club form.
Reduce expected minutes for Kone in the France semi final; treat his appearance as likely substitute-driven rather than a full starter contribution.