Like any other team preparing to play Argentina, France faces the Lionel Messi question: How to stop the five-time world player of the year?
Unlike many of its rivals at the World Cup, though, France has an answer: a center-half pairing of Raphael Varane and Samuel Umtiti.
France, which plays Argentina for a spot in the quarterfinals on Saturday in Kazan, has been misfiring since the start of the tournament, scoring just three goals in its group matches. But the French defense, marshalled by the pair of Spanish league players, has been solid, having conceded just once.
Umtiti knows Messi extremely well because he trains with the Argentina great at Barcelona on a day-to-day basis. Varane, a regular starter for Real Madrid, has vast experience of playing against Messi.