Sarajevo (AFP)
In the wake of a tiring journey to Kazakhstan, the French team continues Wednesday (8:45 p.m.) its third match in eight days, in Bosnia-Herzegovina where it will be necessary to make the qualifying air for the 2022 World Cup lighter despite the legs heavy.
In Sarajevo, the climate of the Balkans will be less icy than that of Nur-Sultan, from where the Blues returned with a first victory in this qualifying campaign, solid but not brilliant (2-0), after the draw against Ukraine four days earlier in Saint-Denis (1-1).
But after having overcome a first "trap match" in the Kazakh capital, another perilous displacement awaits the men of Didier Deschamps, against the 56th world nation led by its two aging stars Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic, 35 and 30 years old.
"Two players who stand out for their technical ease and their experience," said captain Hugo Lloris.
The "Zmajevi" ("Dragons") advance as outsiders of a group where Ukraine seems to be the No. 1 rival of the Blues, but also with a significant advantage: that of having been able to breathe after their draw in Finland (2-2) on Wednesday for the first day.
The Bosnians certainly played a friendly match on Saturday at home against Costa Rica (0-0), but they approached it with a "bis" team, leaving the holders to rest for the reception of the world champions at the stadium Grbavica.
- "Respond mentally" -
"There will be freshness in front", assures Deschamps.
"The most important thing will be to respond mentally, because then the legs will follow", continues Lloris.
The French coach will not have to face his Bosnian counterpart, the Bulgarian Ivaylo Petev.
He tested positive for Covid-19 and must leave the management of the selection to his deputy.
But Pjanic, Dzeko and others will be there to disrupt the forward march of the Tricolores.
The latter hope to take the lead in the standings of the qualifying group, which they already dominate with four points against two for the Finns and the Ukrainians.
"With our status we arrive with the label of favorite tomorrow, I will not say the opposite, but I expect a difficult game," agreed Deschamps.
In the capital, under daily curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., in a country with one of the highest Covid-19 death rates in the world (more than 6,200 dead for 3.5 million inhabitants) , and in a stadium still behind closed doors, the Blues also want to evacuate the last remaining doubts of their disappointing performance against Ukraine, and the frustrations born of a lack of offensive efficiency seen in Kazakhstan.
For this, they will be able to count on the return of the incumbents in power, after a large rotation carried out in Central Asia.
Deschamps has again promised changes and the starting XI in Sarajevo is more likely to resemble that of Saint-Denis, without, however, N'Golo Kanté who left the group in the meantime due to injury.
Paul Pogba is tipped to replace him digitally.
- Last cards before the Euro -
Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud are applying for a return to the team at kick-off, like Adrien Rabiot and the central hinge N.1, made up of Raphaël Varane and Presnel Kimpembe.
For the others, all the minutes of play will count because they will be the last before the publication, at the end of May, of the list for Euro-2020, postponed for a year due to a pandemic.
Ferland Mendy, remained on the bench last week, or Tanguy Ndombélé and Thomas Lemar, holders without blowing away at Nur-Sultan, hope to have one last chance to convince.
Anthony Martial, hit in a knee and absent from collective training on Tuesday, is very uncertain.
As for Ousmane Dembélé, scorer found on Sunday, he only aspires to score more points in the distance duel which opposes him in particular to Kingsley Coman, also very valuable in a similar technical register.
Against a Bosnia unable to win a single match since 2019, France can chain an 8th victory in a row away from home.
But the statistics will be less shelled than the general impression left by the Blues: a convincing success will launch them serenely towards the Euro, where a more timid performance will load the suitcases with some doubts for the big European meeting of the summer. .
© 2021 AFP