Which team has priority when deciding where to stand on a free kick?
Neither.
I’m not a soccer player, coach or referee, but I don’t believe there are any rules. The defending and attacking teams have different interests, though, and the rules of play pretty much prevent any attempts at funny business, so it’s usually sorted out without problems.
The defending team wants to block part of the goal and position themselves for that. You might think that the attackers could try to take one of those positions, with the intention of ducking and creating a hole in the wall, but there is nothing preventing a defender from just standing right behind him, so that’s not really a viable approach.
The attackers on their side want to block the goal keepers view. A defender can take one of those positions, and duck, but in the same way, the attacker can just stand behind him instead.
Thanks