ever the baby arrives, Semiens long streak of consecutive games will come to an end. He has startever the baby arrives, Semiens long streak of consecutive games will come to an end. He has start | Forum

SAINT-DENIS, France -- France coach Didier Deschamps has a dilemma in defense for the European Championship quarterfinal against Iceland on Sunday. Danny Salazar Indians Jersey .With Adil Rami being suspended, he must pick either untested Samuel Umtiti or the out of form Eliaquim Mangala to partner Laurent Koscielny at center half.Umtiti has never played for France, while Mangala did not feature in any pre-tournament warmup matches and he has looked low on confidence in training.Before the competition started, Deschamps faced serious problems in central defense. He lost Real Madrids Raphael Varane, Chelseas Kurt Zouma and Barcelonas Jeremy Mathieu to injury -- while Liverpools Mamadou Sakho was suspended for a doping violation at the time Deschamps named his squad.Varane and Sakho both played at the World Cup two years ago, thus robbing Deschamps of valuable experience at Euro 2016.The 22-year-old Umtiti is soon expected to complete a move from Lyon to Barcelona. If selected, it will be a massive game for him against rugged Iceland.They have two tall strikers who have a lot of presence, they are athletic and strong, Deschamps told a news conference on Saturday. I cant make my players taller by adding a few centimeters. Its a question of being strong in the challenges and paying close attention to the second ball.Deschamps initially left Umtiti out of his squad, penciling him in as a reserve and then only calling him up because of injuries.Lyon finished bottom of its group in last seasons Champions League and Umtiti was criticized for a spate of poor performances.Whilst not revealing who will start the game, Deschamps talked up Umtitis ability.If hes joining (Barcelona) its not down to luck, Deschamps said. He passes well from the back; hes strong in the challenge and has what it takes to play at the highest level.The 25-year-old Mangala, who has played seven times for France, joined Manchester City from Porto for 31.9 million pounds ($42.3 million) two years ago.But he has yet to hold down a regular place.At 1.88 meters (6-foot-2) and weighing 84 kilograms (185 pounds), Mangala is taller and stronger than Umtiti -- who is 1.80 meters (5-foot-11) and weighs nearly 10 kilograms (22 pounds) less.Although that seems to make Mangala the better choice given Icelands physical threat, Deschamps appears to have limited faith in the player and has not selected him since October.Whoever plays at Stade de France might seek reassurance from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, the captain, and right back Bacary Sagna.Both are very experienced.I have a lot of responsibility to show young players the way forward, said the 29-year-old Lloris, who stands to win his 80th cap. I have to get the right message across to them.Sagna, who has 61 caps, added that communication will be the key to the match considering Frances new-look back four.France must also deal with the threat from Iceland midfielder Aron Gunnarssons long throws.From 35 or 40 meters out its like a free kick for them, Deschamps said. Weve been working on that this week.Should the game be decided by a penalty shootout, picking Frances five takers might give Deschamps another headache.France has not been practicing penalty kicks.Ive never done it, Deschamps said. For the simple reason that taking penalties, when youre relaxed in training, is no comparison to what you are going to experience after 120 minutes, in front of a full stadium. Danny Salazar Jersey . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. Albert Belle Indians Jersey . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. https:///...-jersey-indians.html . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. CHICAGO -- White Sox left-hander Chris Sale will look to snap a six-week drought between victories when he takes the mound against the Oakland Athletics on Saturday evening.Sale, whose last victory came July 2, was the first pitcher in the majors to reach 14 wins this season and started for the American League in the All-Star Game. However, the lanky southpaw is 0-4 with a 4.43 ERA in his past six starts, dropping his overall record to 14-6 with a 3.30 ERA.The White Sox (57-64) have struggled along with their ace pitcher. They have lost 14 of their last 21 games, including a 9-0 blowout defeat in Fridays series opener against Oakland (53-69).Its tough, White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier said. I think everybody understands their role, I think everybody understands being a professional. Thats when youve got to come together. We talked the other day about understanding that its OK, were going to lose, were not going to win every game. But (keep) playing hard, going hard every day, diving for that ball, hustling out that at-bat and focusing on that kind of stuff, and hopefully the tides will change.The As will send journeyman left-hander Ross Detwiler (1-1, 4.15 ERA) to the mound against the White Sox. The 30-year-old southpaw started the season with the Cleveland Indians before he was designated for assignment. In two starts for Oakland, he is 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA.Detwiler has faced the White Sox only twice in his nine-year career. Both of those appearances came in relief, with Detwwiler allowing two runs on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. Cody Anderson Jersey. Sales winless streak has included a mix of bad performances and bad luck, not to mention a bizarre incident in which he reportedly sliced his teams throwback jerseys before a game because he thought they were uncomfortable. The White Sox suspended Sale for five days because of the outburst, but they elected not to move him before the Aug. 1 trade deadline.On paper, Sale would appear to have an advantage against the As up-and-down offense. He is 4-2 with a 3.04 ERA in 11 appearances (six starts) against Oakland during his career, including a victory April 4 in which he limited the As to three runs in seven innings.However, Oakland erupted for nine runs Friday to match its most lopsided win of the season. Khris Davis, Stephen Vogt and Yonder Alonso all went deep as the As snapped a five-game losing streak.Oakland manager Bob Melvin is making plans to be without reliable shortstop Marcus Semien soon. Semiens wife is nine months pregnant, and her due date is Saturday.Whenever the baby arrives, Semiens long streak of consecutive games will come to an end. He has started 124 consecutive games, which is the second-longest active streak in the majors.Its impressive, Melvin said. Ive seen guys play and play and play a lot of times out of necessity, and they look run down some. But he never does. ' ' '