France defender Upamecano ready for duel with Belgium's Lukaku

France's Dayot Upamecano (L), the Netherlands players Denzel Dumfries (C) and Memphis Depay battle for the ball during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group D soccer match between Netherlands and France at Leipzig Stadium. Hendrik Schmidt/dpa

France defender Dayot Upamecano feels prepared for the showdown against Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku in the Euro 2024 last 16 on Monday.

"He scores a lot of goals, is exceptional, physically very strong. Everyone knows Lukaku. We know what we have to do on the pitch," Upamecano said in a news conference on Thursday.

According to the defender, however, it would be a mistake to focus solely on Lukaku.

"It's a team we're playing against. We won't just focus on Lukaku. We know he's very dangerous, but it's not just him," he said.

Lukaku scored three goals during the group stage, but all of them were ruled out for offside.

Upamecano is part of the heart of the defence with William Saliba and said of his team-mate: "We talk to each other a lot. He's very self-confident and has played a great season at Arsenal. I hope we can keep playing like this."

France advanced to the last 16 as second-placed in Group D after a win against Austria and draws with the Netherlands and Poland.

France's Dayot Upamecano (L) and Austria's Philipp Mwene battle for the ball during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group D soccer match between Austria and France at the Duesseldorf Arena. Fabian Strauch/dpa
France's Dayot Upamecano (L) and Xavi of the Netherlands battle for the ball during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group D soccer match between Netherlands and France at Leipzig Stadium. Robert Michael/dpa

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