Paris (AFP)

The coach of the French women's team Corinne Deacon has to deal with annoying absences before announcing her list Thursday (11:30 am) for a trip to Serbia and then to North Macedonia as part of the qualifiers for the Euro scheduled for 2022.

It's time to go back to school for the Blue, six months straight after a last outing on March 10 against the Netherlands (3-3) in Valenciennes, the first in camera in a long series for football from the Old Continent .

The novel coronavirus pandemic is still there, but the round ball has timidly resumed its rights.

For the French, the recovery is approaching with a meeting on September 18 in Subotica, a city in northern Serbia closer to Hungary than to Belgrade, then on September 22 in Skopje.

While the Federation is working to demine the logistical challenges of this complex displacement, its coach is refining a necessarily innovative list in the absence of several players.

Barring an unlikely turnaround, goalkeeper and captain Sarah Bouhaddi (149 caps), European champion for the seventh time with OL in August, should not be included.

- Bouhaddi on break -

At the end of July, the 33-year-old player announced to put her international career on hold.

"Deep down, I want to continue with the France team, because I love this jersey, the pleasure of playing for my country. Quite simply, I feel the need to take a break" , she explained to the Olympique-et-Lyonnais.com site.

Without the Lyonnaise, Pauline Peyraud-Magnin (Atlético Madrid) and Solène Durand (Guingamp) start on pole to occupy the tricolor cage in September.

Two other Lyon players will also be missing, but for medical reasons this time.

Griedge Mbock, pillar of defense at OL as with the Blue, is still in the infirmary after the rupture of an Achilles tendon suffered in early June.

Her teammate Amandine Henry, injured at the end of August to a calf in the Champions League, will not be recovered in time either.

Deacon will not be able to count on Grace Geyoro, the midfielder of Paris SG who had shown to his advantage in March at the Tournament of France won by the Blue.

Victim of a crack in a tibia, the 23-year-old Parisian "will be away from the field for 3 to 4 weeks," her club said on Wednesday.

Her teammates Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto will however be present.

In this context, the coach can draw from the young selections to enrich a workforce already well armed to face Serbia (41st in the Fifa ranking) and North Macedonia (129th).

In the first leg, on November 9 in Bordeaux, the Blue had made short work of the Serbs (6-0), with the key to a hat-trick from Amel Majri.

They have never faced North Macedonia, the penultimate European nation in the Fifa rankings.

The French are third in their qualifying group for the Women's Euro in England, postponed by one year to 2022 to allow the rescheduling of the men's tournament in June 2021. But they only played two games (for two wins), against four and five for Austria and Serbia who are ahead of them.

© 2020 AFP