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.