The Celta Vigo defender has not played a full match since the playoff final against Poland on March 31. At that time, he replaced Hien, who broke down against Ukraine a few days earlier in the semi-final in Valencia.
It is likely that Starfelt will step into the same role in East Rutherford on Tuesday night. Against Japan, he came on in the second half and got useful playing time.
"It was nice to make my World Cup debut, it was fun in a match where we advanced. It felt good, there were no strange things. I feel in good physical shape," he says.
Starfelt was a question mark in the World Cup squad for a long time due to a lingering back injury that ruined the end of the club team's season in La Liga.
I know I came in with a slightly different set of circumstances and that it would take some time to get going. It feels good to be ready now.
It's impossible to find much more difficult opposition than France in the round of 16. But Starfelt doesn't mind going into the match as a clear "underdog".
It's clear that we're in for a very tough match, but we feel well prepared and we feel like we can do it. France is an extremely good team with world-class players in every position and an incredible threat offensively.
"It's a lot about how we collectively defend against them," says Starfelt.
