The French team faces Portugal in the League of Nations on Saturday evening, in the match at the top of group 3. Objective: to win a ticket for the final phase of the competition.
But that will require forgetting Tuesday's defeat against Finland, and dealing with the uncertainty surrounding the state of form of several players.
After a defeat as dry as it was unexpected against Finland (0-2), it is an opponent of a completely different caliber that the France team faces on Saturday, for a match at stake much more important.
The men of Didier Deschamps indeed challenge in the League of Nations the Portugal of Cristiano Ronaldo (8:45 p.m.), the title holder, for a place in the final phase of the competition.
>> The Portugal-France meeting can be followed in full on Europe 1 and Europe1.fr
A victory to qualify, a draw to stay in the race
The stake is the following one: the possible winner of this shock of group 3 will get his ticket for the final phase ("Final 4") of the new competition of UEFA.
Portuguese and French are tied on points (10) and drew 0-0 in the first leg.
This match is "like a final," Portuguese coach Fernando Santos said on Friday.
In the event of another 0-0, Portugal, also reigning European champion, would approach the last day in favorable waivers thanks to their better overall goal difference (+8 against +4).
A draw with goals would instead give the advantage to the Blues, thanks to the criterion of away goals, before the last match against Sweden.
On the other hand, if it tilts, France will be eliminated but will remain in Ligue A (first division) for the next edition.
Bouncing back from the defeat to Finland
At the Stade de la Luz in Lisbon, the Blues will try to bounce back after the defeat against Finland, which did not reassure the state of form of the French.
While this friendly meeting was supposed to increase competition, no player lined up, except perhaps newcomer Marcus Thuram, has scored points seven months from the Euro.
As for the executives, Paul Pogba and Olivier Giroud also missed their match.
Many absent
But the task promises to be difficult, especially as several executives of the France team could be missing.
The uncertainty relates to the state of form of Bayern Munich players Benjamin Pavard, Lucas Hernandez and Corentin Tolisso, as well as Parisians Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappé.
These five players, in addition to Adrien Rabiot, skipped Finland, treating muscle problems for most of them.
Friday evening, they all participated in the last collective training session, with the notable exception of Mbappé (thigh) who started it apart for a "specific job" according to Deschamps.
Finally, Paul Pogba's teammates will also be deprived of striker Wissam Ben Yedder, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday and therefore forfeited.