Munich (Germany) (AFP)
The Blues and their fiery attack start the Euro straight away with a summit on Tuesday (9 p.m.) in Munich in front of 14,000 spectators and a revengeful German team, also in the peloton of favorites counting to dethrone Portugal, the last scarecrow of the very group F statement.
In other circumstances, the entry into the running of the reigning Portuguese European champion on Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Hungary, moreover in a packed stadium in Budapest, would have drawn the light.
But the meeting will quickly be overshadowed by the tantalizing France-Germany.
The boss of the Blues is wary of a Mannchaft in reconstruction, world champion in 2014 before being pitifully eliminated in the first round of the last World Cup won by the French.
The Germans "will be very motivated at the idea of starting a new competition, with a lot of ambition, which is moreover at home," warned French captain Hugo Lloris.
- "Heads up" -
His vis-à-vis Manuel Neuer, another world-class goalkeeper, did not hide it: "We arrive with our heads held high, and we do not see ourselves as outsiders, we absolutely want to win this match in Munich , with us ".
If the nightmarish memory of Seville-82 and Guadalajara-86 still sometimes haunts the collective spirit, the French have learned to dominate the German neighbor.
Since the quarter of the World Cup-2014 won 1-0 by the Mannschaft, the French have two draws and three victories, including that in the semi-final of Euro-2016 (2-0).
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Antoine Griezmann, tricolor hero that day with a double, will be operational for this particular reunion, after having treated a painful calf in recent days.
The attacking trio he forms with Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema, hit in a thigh last week but also recovered, carries French hopes.
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Barring a physical glitch, Deschamps will line up a team without surprise behind his attacking triangle, with N'Golo Kanté framed by Paul Pogba and Adrien Rabiot in the midfield.
In defense, Raphaël Varane and Presnel Kimpembe are expected in the center, with Benjamin Pavard on the right and Lucas Hernandez on the left.
The last two will face their German teammates from Bayern Munich, whether Neuer, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich or Thomas Müller, recalled by Joachim Löw after a long sideline.
"In the club they are my friends, but the time of a match it will be my opponents. There will be no freebie," said Pavard, ready to face a hostile audience.
"They can boo me, I will defend this blue jersey, this rooster, and I will give my best to be as efficient as possible and win in Munich with the France team."
- Full stadium in Budapest -
In this cockfight, watch out for low blows!
German defender Antonio Rüdiger has raised the temperature calling on his teammates to play "dirty, not always nice, nice", even if it means "sending a message ... and early" in the match.
"In very high level matches, obviously, it's the technique that makes the difference, but there is always a total commitment of the two teams", dodged Deschamps who, in the event of a final victory on July 11 in London, would become the first to have made the World-Euro double as a player and then as a coach.
The French, supported by 2,000 to 2,500 supporters on Tuesday at the Allianz Arena, must finish in the top two of Group F to be certain of reaching the knockout stages.
Third place can also be qualifying, depending on their performance.
The sesames will be anyway disputed in this "group of death" which also features the Portugal of Cristiano Ronaldo, reigning European champion.
The defense of his throne begins with a trip to Hungary, without the defender Joao Cancelo positive for Covid-19 and facing the Magyars carried by their audience.
With its 68,000 seats, the Puskas Arena in Budapest is the only venue for the Euro, organized in 11 stadiums across 11 countries, not to apply a spectator gauge in these times of health crisis.
It will be the first international match with 100% spectators in Europe since March 2020, club meetings and selections combined, UEFA confirmed.
© 2021 AFP