FIFA World Cup 2018: 5 keys to success for France

#4 Faith in their backline

Barcelona's Umtiti (

centre

, no.5) and Hugo Lloris will both play key roles for France this summer

Easier said than done, not least with a notable absence and players returning from injury, but France need to put faith in their backline if they're to go far in the tournament.

Tottenham's Hugo Lloris has endured a difficult season in England, combining excellent saves with a handful of preventable mistakes, leading to goals conceded. He'll be keen to avoid any more of those in Russia, as any sort of slip up can prove costly - not least during matches which are finely poised and separated by a piece of individual brilliance for example.

Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny (Achilles injury) is a notable absence from Deschamps' final 23-man squad and despite questions over his consistency at the highest level, will be a genuine miss. After all, you don't reach 50 international caps for a European powerhouse for being an unreliable figure.

Koscielny - a France regular - ruptured his Achilles against Atletico in April and will be out until November

Real Madrid's Raphael Varane and Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti are expected to be France's first-choice centre-back pairing, understandably so. The pair have excelled for their respective Spanish sides this term, while Marseille's Adil Rami and PSG's Presnel Kimpembe will also hope to feature.

Benjamin Mendy, for all his strengths, has endured a frustrating first campaign in England with Premier League champions Manchester City. Having sustained a ruptured cruciate ligament, he only returned to first-team action in late April and made cameo appearances between then and the season's end.

He'll be battling with Atletico's Lucas Hernández for a starting spot, while Monaco right-back Djibril Sidibé is expected to do the same with Stuttgart starlet Benjamin Pavard. Whoever chosen, the players must get behind Deschamps' decisions - which can and will fluctuate as the tournament continues.