France will look to bounce back from their shock loss against Sweden when they host England in a glamour friendly at the Stade de France on Tuesday night. The fixture will be the last for both teams before they resume their World Cup qualifying campaign later this year.
Hugo Lloris’ late error gave Sweden an upset 2-1 win over France in Solna and sent the home side top of their qualifying group ahead of Didier Deschamps’ men. For French fans, the game brought back uncomfortable memories from the country’s unsuccessful 1994 WC qualifying campaign, when Sweden and Bulgaria finished ahead of Les Bleus. Back then, a win netted two points and the top two finishing nations were assured of a spot in the World Cup- this time around, a win is worth 3, and the second placed team is not assured of qualifying.
Toivonen winning goal for Sweden (Lloris Error)
With tricky games against the Netherlands and Bulgaria still to come, France face a real fight on their hands to qualify.
England drew 2-2 with Scotland at Hampden Park, with Harry Kane, the Three Lions’ fifth skipper under Gareth Southgate, netting a 93rd minute equaliser to deny the Scots a famous victory. Goalkeeper Joe Hart came in for some criticism from fans and pundits after letting in two free kicks from Leigh Griffiths, and the City star, who has just returned from a loan spell at Italian outfit Torino, is unlikely to feature against Les Bleus, with Stoke’s Jack Butland expected to get the nod ahead of him.
If Kane is retained as skipper, that would see him square off against French captain Hugo Lloris, his club-mate who also wears the armband at White Hart Lane.
Kane 93rd minute equaliser v Scotland at Hampden Park
With fatigue a factor, Southgate is likely to rotate things, with the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (who scored England’s opener against Scotland), and Jermain Defoe expected to start. There could also be roles for highly rated Boro star Ben Gibson, a transfer target for Liverpool, and Man City’s John Stones.
Like Southgate, Deschamps is likely to give his “bench” players a start, although some might argue that it will actually make Les Bleus stronger, with the likes of Mbappe, Dembele, Kante and Lacazette capable of walking into most international squads on merit alone. Most betting sites therefore have Les Bleus as favourites despite their recent setback in Solna.
This is the first meeting between the two sides on French soil since 2008, when a 32nd minute penalty from Franck Ribery saw Les Bleus triumph at this very stadium. England beat Les Bleus in their last meeting back in November 2015, which took place just after the Paris attacks.
Last meeting between France & England at Stade de France (Fra 1-0 Eng)