The French national football team plans to bring back midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni, absent due to injury in the last two matches, for the World Cup semifinal against Spain on Tuesday at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Italian Roma player Manu Koné, who started as a replacement for the Real Madrid player, delivered a strong performance against Morocco in the quarterfinals (2-0), but Tchouaméni's status and experience, guaranteeing the balance of 'Les Bleus' midfield, should earn him a spot in the starting lineup. The matter has not been fully decided yet, given coach Didier Deschamps' appreciation for Koné's playing style, but this is the direction shown by recent training sessions in which Tchouaméni has participated normally since Wednesday, making his thigh injury, suffered on the eve of the round of 16 match against Paraguay (1-0), a distant memory. And since the key to the match against 'La Roja' may lie in midfield, the Real Madrid player's experience and positioning are elements that are hard for the coach to forgo. Although he has been less prominent compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he burst onto the international scene, Tchouaméni has generally been useful in the United States. Alongside Adrien Rabiot, who has been impressive since the start of the tournament, they form a complementary duo in midfield, with the Madrid player taking a more withdrawn role, allowing the Milan player to advance into attack where he excels. This defensive positioning is what essentially allows France's attacking arsenal to shine since the start of the competition. Relying on four outright attackers with great efficiency (16 goals and 11 assists), France faces a kind of imbalance that Tchouaméni is supposed to compensate for with his physical strength. Tuesday's match is set to see a clash of styles between two of the best midfields in the world. Against the great physical strength of French pair Rabiot and Tchouaméni, Spain responds with technical precision, especially from Rodri, who, in the United States after two injury-plagued seasons, is recovering the abilities that enabled him to win the Ballon d'Or in 2024. The French midfielders have the task of gradually stifling their opponents to limit their impact on the match. Beyond his importance on the pitch, Tchouaméni has additional personal reasons to play in this match between France and Spain, which many observers describe as an early final for the 2026 World Cup. Like his captain Kylian Mbappé, the former Monaco player (26 years old, 49 international caps, 3 goals), who moved to Real Madrid in 2022, has had a very turbulent season, ending without any title and marked by major tensions within the team. Although he generally maintained his level on the pitch, his altercation after a training session with Federico Valverde, his teammate and captain, caused a stir. The result: a fine of 500,000 euros per player, plus the Uruguayan international receiving stitches and ten days of rest. The former Bordeaux player said at the start of the French team gathering in Clairefontaine: 'With Real Madrid, things did not go as we wanted with this trophy-less season, but now we have another chance to win a title with the World Cup, so we are all very excited and have even more desire.'