Budapest (AFP)

Hot ahead for the Blues!

In a packed and largely hostile stadium, France aims against Hungary an early qualification for the knockout stages of the Euro, Saturday (3:00 p.m.) under the overwhelming heat of Budapest, even before challenging Portugal on Wednesday.

A victory against Petit Poucet of Pool F and Didier Deschamps' team will have easily survived the so-called "group of death": even before challenging Cristiano Ronaldo and his defending armada, four days later, the champions of world will have their ticket in their pocket for the final round.

The successful entry into the running is enough to reassure Paul Pogba's partners.

They found the intensity of the 2018 World Cup quite naturally and seemed little disturbed by one of their first away matches with a home crowd.

For this second outing, "the parameters change", remarks captain Hugo Lloris: if the adversity on the lawn is supposed to drop a notch against the 37th nation in the world, the decibels are likely to soar, in the only enclosure of the Euro filled to 100%, and in temperatures of around 30 degrees in the middle of the afternoon.

- "Color" -

The Portuguese paid the price for 83 minutes on the first day until the Hungarians let go at the end of the game (3-0) in front of 55,662 spectators.

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"There will be atmosphere, color, the Hungarians will be carried by their audience," Lloris said on Friday, expecting a "united and well-organized team".

The goalkeeper and his teammates rely, first on an intractable defense, credited with five consecutive matches without conceding a goal in the wake of Raphaël Varane and Presnel Kimpembe, on a performing midfielder with the triangle Pogba- Kanté-Rabiot, and on a promising offensive animation.

On this last aspect, the Tricolores will be particularly expected against the most affordable opponent of Group F.

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The attacking trio of Kylian Mbappé, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann has not yet dazzled the continent, contrary to expectations.

Benzema is still hoping for a first goal since his surprise return to the Blues, Griezmann wants to regain his somewhat extinct influence in Munich and Mbappé finally concretize his incessant assaults by registering his name on the list of scorers in the European Championship.

- Typical team or rotation?

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The setting, in any case, is conducive to lightning accelerations, in a brand new stadium inaugurated in 2019 to the east of the capital, an infrastructure born from the building fever of sovereignist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

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The hostile atmosphere, "I love it, I play football for that", enthuses Lucas Hernandez, the left side who expects "another battle".

Adorned with the red of the "Magyar" selection, Budapest and its large fan-zone installed in the Varosliget park (11,000 seats) dream in unison of a surprise victory to restore balm to the heart of a former major football nation, and a smile to a population severely affected by Covid-19.

The country has one of the worst death rates in the world since the outbreak of the pandemic (310 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants approximately).

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The French supporters, who will be up to 5,000 in the stadium according to the latest estimates, will observe for their part the choices of coach Didier Deschamps with curiosity.

Will he bet on his typical team at the risk of arriving reduced against the Portuguese on Wednesday?

Or will he dare some changes to affect more players?

"I am doing everything to ensure that tomorrow's scenario is positive, but I have step by step reflections. I am not preparing for the second game thinking of the third," Deschamps slipped, confirming the availability of Benjamin Pavard despite his shock at head received Tuesday.

Corentin Tolisso in the middle, Lucas Digne and Jules Koundé in defense or Ousmane Dembélé in attack stand ready to scratch playing time in the Hungarian cauldron ... For Kingsley Coman, authorized to temporarily leave the group on Thursday to attend childbirth of his companion, it seems more complicated: the Bavarian had not returned in time for the training before the match.

© 2021 AFP