The Japan Times - Mbappe's French juggernaut face Paraguay, eye World Cup quarter-finals

Perhaps the only thing that can stop Mbappe and Les Bleus is the threat of extreme heat and possibly storms in Philadelphia.

It is a last-16 tie with a clear favourite, but a match-up with historic significance on the July 4 weekend in the birthplace of American independence.

After winning the trophy in 2018 and losing the 2022 final on penalties, France are hoping to become only the third team in World Cup history to reach three consecutive finals, after West Germany and Brazil.

That remains a long way off but their performances so far suggest they will take some beating.

Tuesday's 3-0 defeat of Sweden in the last 32, in which Mbappe scored twice and Bradley Barcola once, made it four wins in four matches with 13 goals scored.

France have enjoyed plenty of success during Didier Deschamps' 14 years in charge, but for a long time there was a sense that a pragmatic coach was not allowing his team to maximise their attacking potential.

Now at his last tournament before stepping down, that appears to have changed. Mbappe, Barcola, Ousmane Dembele and the brilliant Michael Olise seem unstoppable.

"There is an excellent rapport between the attacking players. They speak the same footballing language," said Deschamps after the Sweden game.

France look a very good bet to win their third World Cup, and they are certainly expected to overcome a Paraguay team ranked 41st in the world.

But it is unlikely to be as simple as that in reality, and the Paraguayans head to Philadelphia with confidence sky-high after their victory on penalties against Germany -- which led to a national holiday being declared back home.

"They are not here by chance. Germany are a top side, and they have that South American DNA, which means they get stuck in," Deschamps said of Paraguay.

"And they have good players too. You can't just qualify for the last 16 of the World Cup like that by chance."

Barcola said on Friday that France were bracing for a physical contest.

"It's a team that defends a lot. They're going to dish out a lot of knocks," he told reporters.

"But they are also a footballing team. We saw that against Germany."

One Paraguayan player well-known in France is Julio Enciso of Strasbourg, who scored against Germany.

He recognises that few people will expect Paraguay to win as they aim to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup for just the second time.

"We also have our own strengths, and with our style of play, we're going to try to make things difficult for any opponent," said Enciso.

- Extreme heat warnings -

One potential opponent for both teams is the weather, with temperatures in Philadelphia set to reach 37 degrees Celsius (98 Fahrenheit) on Saturday.

This match will take place in the city where the American Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago, but celebrations for the occasion are at risk of being impacted by storms.

France have already played in Philadelphia in this World Cup, and their 3-0 win over Iraq during the group stage was interrupted for two hours because of rain and thunder.

Coping with the conditions could be a challenge, and both sides will want to avoid the draining prospect of extra time and penalties.

The last meeting of the countries at a World Cup featured extra time and turned out to be one of the most pivotal moments in the modern history of the French national team.

On their way to winning the trophy for the first time on home soil in 1998, Les Bleus -- with Deschamps as captain -- edged Paraguay 1-0.

K.Yamaguchi--JT