Paris (AFP)

French basketball players are testing each other Thursday and Saturday against the Spanish rival, to judge the state of preparation of Vincent Collet's players and to revive for the players of Valérie Garnier, with the approach of the Tokyo Olympics.

After a big block of intense training in Pau for more than two weeks, Vincent Collet will know where his players are with a double confrontation against the reigning Spanish world champions, first in Malaga on Thursday evening, then in Paris- Bercy - without limit of gauge - where 7,000 people are expected early Saturday evening.

Due to the end of the NBA season shifted because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the coach had to do without Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz) who will join the selection directly in Malaga, and Nicolas Batum (Los Angeles Clippers) who will integrate the group Friday in Paris.

In addition, Thomas Heurtel, who signed for a year at Real Madrid on Tuesday, has never trained with the Blues, awaiting test exams he must carry out with his club on Friday.

This first meeting on the field, as well as the announcement of the selection and the start of the rally, is one of the highlights of the summer, according to Vincent Collet, who will have at his disposal eleven players, including Isaïa Cordinier and Paul Lacombe, who are not among the 12 selected for Tokyo.

"As a coach, we will try to look at a maximum of things. Especially the way we evolve together, small details that give the feeling that we are really together", underlines the coach, who expects to pass revealing against Spain, "the team that succeeds the most to foil by its defensive activity".

- Evacuate the frustration -

"When we started the internship on June 24, we were not yet a team. We had a roster (workforce) that we liked, now we have to learn to work together", specifies Vincent Collet, who used preparation days to refine associations and complicity between players.

For Valérie Garnier and the French basketball players, the problem is totally different.

This double confrontation against the Iberian selection comes two weeks after the enormous disillusionment of a fifth consecutive defeat in the final of a European championship and the frustration that will have to be evacuated very quickly.

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In Valence on June 27, the Blues bowed against Serbia and the matches in Malaga and Bercy will allow the switch, far from being simple, between the Euro and the Olympics.

Endy Miyem's teammates face a Spain traumatized by the elimination in the quarterfinals of "his" Euro, concluded in 7th place (worst result since 2011), insufficient to be able to participate in the qualifying tournaments for the World-2022 .

It will also be the opportunity to see the French team evolve with Marine Fauthoux, absent during Euro-2021, who comes to compensate for the package of the titular leader of the Bleues Olivia Epoupa, injured in the right ankle during the very first Euro match against Croatia after less than two minutes.

Spain, European champion 2017 and 2019, silver at the 2016 Olympics and bronze at the 2018 World Cup, will recover Alba Torrens, one of its best players, who was deprived of the Euro due to '' a positive Covid-19 test five days before the start of the competition.

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Program

Thursday in Malaga

(7:30 p.m.) Spain - France, men

(10 p.m.) Spain - France, women

Saturday, in Paris-Bercy

(5.30 p.m.) France - Spain, ladies

(8:30 p.m.) France - Spain, men

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