Zidane tipped for France job

The French Football Federation reportedly see Zinedine Zidane as strong a candidate for the role of national team coach as well as Didier Deschamps.

 According to reports, while Real Madrid's sporting director has no previous coaching experience, the France legend is viewed as a viable replacement for Laurent Blanc, who stepped down following the country's disappointing Euro 2012 campaign.

 Deschamps was immediately installed as the favourite to succeed Blanc following his former international team-mate's resignation on June 30.

 The odds on him being France's next boss only shortened after he parted company with Marseille two days later. However, Zidane has said he would like to coach his country one day.

 "I want to start preparing to take the title of coach," Zidane told Le Journal de Saone-et-Loire late last month.

 "The playing field is what I know best. "I have lived 20 years of special moments and I want to convey and share my experience with others.

" It was a declaration that was warmly received by FFF president Noel Le Graet, who is now giving serious thought to turning to the man who inspired France to World Cup glory in 1998.

 Speaking to reporters after Zidane's comments, Le Graet said: "I find it very charming that he has expressed a desire to be close to France's team. "He dreams of coaching France within a decade.

 It is very gratifying." Zidane, Deschamps and Blanc were also a part of the side that won Euro 2000.

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Two-year suspension for Nasri would be 'ridiculous & shameful', says Platini

The Manchester City midfielder could reportedly be banned for two years by the French Football Federation (FFF) for his actions after Les Bleus' 2-0 quarter-final loss to Spain.

 However, the Uefa president and former France captain has come out in Nasri's defence, and says that being excluded from international duty until after the 2014 World Cup would be heavy-handed. 

if I had been suspended every time I insulted a journalist, I wouldn't have had many caps in the national team," said Platini, according to France Football. 

 "Nasri deserves something, but a suspension for two years is ridiculous and shameful. 

The 25-year-old playmaker clashed with the press throughout Euro 2012, and celebrated his goal in the 1-1 draw with England by gesturing towards L'Equipe journalists.

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Nasri in four-letter outburst at journalist after Spain defeat

Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri exited Euro 2012 with a foul-mouthed tirade aimed at a French journalist following his side’s quarter-final defeat against Spain.

 Nasri, who has courted controversy throughout the tournament, was among the first of the French players to enter the post-match interview area after a contest that was dominated from start to finish by the reigning European champions.

 The 24-year-old initially walked off hastily in the direction of the team bus and refused to answer any questions from journalists who were seeking his reaction to the 2-0 defeat. But he soon returned, apparently having forgotten one of his personal belongings, when the confrontation occurred.

 When pressed for an answer by a reporter working for a French news agency, Nasri responded with an astonishing foul-mouthed outburst which culminated in him offering the journalist in question outside for a fight.

 An extraordinary flurry of insults ladened with four-letter words kicked off his rant, in which he claimed the press always wrote "c**p stories" about his team.

 Then the former Arsenal man shouted: "Now you can say that I've been badly brought up! Come over there and let's fix this.

 The Manchester City midfielder had been dropped to the substitutes’ bench by France coach Laurent Blanc for his part in the row that broke out following the defeat against Sweden in Kiev on Monday, which meant Les Bleus surrendered the opportunity to top Group D.

 The former Arsenal player has been involved in a long-running dispute with his national press that had already boiled over during France’s first game of the tournament against England.

 After sports newspaper L’Equipe had criticised his recent performances, Nasri responded with a controversial celebration, putting his finger to his lips and pointing at the reporter who had written the article, saying "shut your mouth" after he had scored the equalising goal against Roy Hodgson’s side.

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Spain 2-0 France: Alonso's double sinks France

Spain set up an all-Iberian semi-final with Portugal as they earned a 2-0 win over France with a workmanlike display in the last eight at the Donbass Arena.

 La Furia Roja bossed the game in large parts, opening the scoring midway through the first half as Xabi Alonso headed in as he completed a century of international appearances.

 Despite an improved performance in the second half Les Bleus failed to find a breakthrough and received a sucker-punch when Alonso slotted home from the penalty spot in second-half stoppage time.

 Following Fernando Torres' disappointing performance against Croatia, Vicente del Bosque reverted to the striker-less formation which garnered so much criticism after their opening group game with Cesc Fabregas rejoining the forward line.

 In an attempt to stifle the typically fluid and creative Spaniards, Laurent Blanc opted to begin with Mathieu Debuchy in front of Anthony Reveillere on the right in order to help protect against Andres Iniesta and Jordi Alba.

 Samir Nasri started among the substitutes amidst rumours on infighting for a fairly conservative looking French team. 

 Spain controlled the ball from kick off, passing it across the field and probing for an opening that proved elusive until the 19th minute.

 Blanc will have been furious that when Spain did create an opportunity it came down his side's supposedly fortified right.

 Iniesta threaded a pass to the overlapping Alba and he looked up and picked out Alonso at the back post who headed the ball back across goal and into the far corner.

 Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema were doing their best to provide a moments respite for their side but for all their endeavour they frequently found themselves running into dead ends and handing the ball straight back to the opposition.

 In the 35th minute Les Bleus got their first shot on target from a free kick after Sergio Ramos felled Benzema. 

Yohan Cabaye struck the ball from 35 yards and it looked destined for the top left corner but Iker Casillas got a palm to it to stop it from hitting the net.

 For all their possession La Roja were once again creating very little.

 A give-and-go between Iniesta and Fabregas enabled the former to get in behind the defence but his effort was blocked by a recovering Laurent Koscielny on his competitive debut for France.

 France returned from the break in a far more positive manner, they were combative in midfield and began to commit greater numbers forward when on the ball. 

With an hour played Ribery worked some space on the left and clipped a cross into the middle. Debuchy met it in the centre of the box but his header sailed narrowly over the bar.

 With Spain reducing their urgency and the tempo of the game Blanc sensed the momentum swinging the way of his side made two attacking substitutes, replacing Debuchy and Florent Malouda with Jeremy Menez and Nasri. 

 All night France had allowed Alvaro Arbeloa a lot of freedom on the right in an attempt to provide Ribery with more space in behind him on the left flank.

 This almost paid dividends in the 71st minute when the Bayern Munich winger charged forwards and drilled a dangerous cross into the six-yard box but Casillas got a hand to it and gathered at the second attempt.

 The substitutes failed to have the desired impact on the game however as the Spanish defence remained tight.

 Del Bosque's side were awarded a penalty in stoppage-time when Reveillere brought Pedro down in the area. Alonso stepped up and converted from 12 yards, sending Hugo Lloris the wrong way.

 Spain now have three days of rest until they return to Donetsk to face Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the semi-final.

 France will turn their attentions to the World Cup qualifying campaign where they will face La Roja twice, with the first fixture coming in October.

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France fight for their finals future

"After the game I've seen tonight it's difficult to imagine us beating Spain.

 France coach Laurent Blanc made no attempt to hide his disappointment after defeat to Sweden in their final Group D game condemned them to a quarter-final date with world and European champions Spain.

 It's not the way it was supposed to be. 

Above England going into the game with the pointless Swedes it was thought France would pick up a regulation win and avoid the last-eight tie no one wanted.

 The defeat led to confrontations between French players in the changing room after the match - with Hatem Ben Arfa and Blanc said to have clashed.

 The doom and gloom of Tuesday night has now given way to at least a glimmer of positivity.

 Assistant coach Alain Boghossian insists the squabbles have been forgotten and "the fire's been put out.

 But when things go wrong in the pressure cooker of tournament football it is difficult to dismiss friction so easily, as Netherlands once again found out to their cost this summer.

 France will have to replace Philippe Mexes, who is suspended after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament against Sweden.

 Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny is set to come into the centre of defence.

 At least Franck Ribery and Samir Nasri, two important components of France's forward line spearheaded by Karim Benzema, have shaken off knee and foot injuries respectively and should be fit to take their places in the team. 

Ribery, Benzema and Nasri are world class," Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque said in his pre-match press conference. 

They'll make things difficult for us." Spain have found themselves on unfamiliar ground in recent days, with some beginning to question their tactical approach. 

Del Bosque has had to bat away questions about his preference for playing without a striker, with either David Silva or Cesc Fabregas as an advanced midfielder in an attacking role. 

 He's not about to change, though, with "keeping hold of the ball and being incisive" remaining the central ploy, while the coach also insisted there is "nothing new or abnormal" about playing without a striker.

 That may be true, but Spain's desire to hold possession and force opponents into mistakes by shear frustration and relentless probing may not be enough to win them a third successive major title.

 It remains to be seen if Fernando Torres will keep his place in the team, having started the last two matches against Ireland and Croatia.

 De Bosque could opt to revert to the 4-6-0 formation he used against Italy, looking to make sure Spain command the midfield against what is perceived to be a far more dangerous opponent.

 And that is shown in the countries' head-to-head record too, as Spain have never won a competitive game against France - drawing once and losing the other five.

 The two sides last met at the 2006 World Cup, in the first knock-out round with France winning 3-1.

 Spain player to watch: David Silva.

 Whether or not Del Bosque chooses to go with Fernando Torres, Silva will have a vital role to play in the Spanish side.

 He either plays as the orchestrator behind the striker or in the advanced role from the packed midfield.

 With a goal and three assists, Silva was the architect of success for the holders in the group stage.

 France player to watch: Karim Benzema. As Croatia found out to their cost, you have to take your chances against Spain whenever they come along.

 In Benzema, France have a player who plays in Spain, for Real Madrid, and scored 21 La Liga goals last season.

 But Benzema has not managed to find his form in this tournament and has had 17 shots without scoring - the most of any player yet to hit the back of the net.

 Key battle: Franck Ribery/Samir Nasri v Jordi Alba.

 As one of the breakthrough players in the Spain team, and with a mooted €15 million transfer to Barcelona set to be completed after Euro 2012, Alba is expected to have the left-back berth sewn up for years to come.

 But the Valencia defender, who came though Barca's La Masia academy, had only five caps prior to the finals and will have to cope with switching attacks from both Franck Ribery and Samir Nasri.

 A true test of his development on the international stage.

 Stats: Franck Ribery was involved in more duels than any other player in the group stages (75) and won 45% of them. Spain have won just one of their nine previous European Championship or World Cup quarter-finals outright. 

 Trivia: France have only ever won one European championship finals match without either Michel Platini or Zinedine Zidane in the side - and that was against Ukraine in the group stage.

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France fail to deliver, book Spain date

France drifted into the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 despite second-half goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sebastian Larsson providing a rousing Group D send-off for already-eliminated Sweden.

 Laurent Blanc's men were second best throughout as they blew their big chance to emerge as group winners and in the end had England to thank for beating Ukraine and keeping them in the competition.

 Ibrahimovic struck a sensational volley to give the proud Swedes a 54th-minute lead then Larsson lashed home the second in injury time much to the delight of the Swedish fans in Kiev.

 France will now face reigning champions Spain in the last eight. Erik Hamren's men, out after losing to both England and Ukraine, showed their intent from the start as they got forward well and fashioned their first chance with just three minutes on the clock.

 Martin Olsson was allowed too much space on the left and floated a cross to Ola Toivonen, who outjumped the French defence but could only direct his free header over the bar.

 Larsson also headed over from an Olsson cross while the Swedes missed a golden chance in the 10th minute when Toivonen sprung clear and rounded French keeper Hugo Lloris only to then hit the post from a tight angle.

 The French were struggling to make much of an impact, perhaps too secure in the knowledge that their last eight spot was virtually secure, though surely keen to avoid a meeting with Group C winners Spain.

 Franck Ribery fed Karim Benzema who blazed the best French chance over the bar but it was Sweden who continued to attack with more purpose, with Olsson in particular exploiting the space afforded him down the left.

 The game drifted towards the interval in rather low-key fashion but France threatened in the final minute, Benzema playing in Ribery whose shot from just inside the box was blazed high over the bar.

 Sweden continued to look more likely to break the deadlock early in the second period, Larsson setting up Olof Mellberg who was ruled narrowly offside, with the French struggling to break down a resolute Swedish defence.

 They almost did so in the 50th minute, when Benzema sprang the offside trap to race clear on the left flank, and after cutting inside onto his favoured right foot, unleashed a shot which flew just wide of Andreas Isaksson's left-hand post.

 Alou Diarra brought a simple save out of Isaksson but just as France looked to be getting to grips with the game, the Swedes stole forward once again and claimed their richly deserved opener.

 Toivonen saw a shot blocked by Lloris then moments later Larsson delivered a drifting ball in from the right which Ibrahimovic met with a spectacular volley to crash the Swedes ahead.

 Mellberg drew a magnificent close-range save out of Lloris as Sweden came close to adding a second, but the French began to respond, with Samir Nasri drilling a shot wide and Yann M'Vila firing straight at Isaksson.

 Nevertheless it was a strangely lethargic performance from the French, who seldom looked likely to wrest the tie - and with it the destiny of Group D - back to their advantage.

 Substitute Jeremy Menez scuffed a simple chance straight at Isaksson with eight minutes to go, then moments later Oliver Giroud headed over the bar from close range when he should have scored.

 Sweden made it two in injury time when Samuel Holmen hammered Andreas Granqvist's cross against the bar and the ball rebounded for Larsson to volley home the simplest of chances.

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France looking to avoid Spain

A Sweden side with little to play for other than pride stand in the way of France in their quest to reach the knockout phase of the Euro 2012.

 France are sitting atop Group D, with goal difference keeping them ahead of England after enduring the stalest of stalemates against the Three Lions before confidently seeing off co-hosts Ukraine in a sodden second match.

 A draw against the Swedes will be enough to secure Les Bleus' passage into the quarter-finals of the competition, but it would not guarantee pole position, which is much coveted as it avoids a meeting with world and European champions Spain.

 "We still need something from the third game," head coach Laurent Blanc said in the wake of his side's scalp of Ukraine.

 "We're not going to get ahead of ourselves. Let's stay humble.

" Yet the momentum with this French team appears to be building.

 France extended their unbeaten record to 23 matches with that 2-0 win over Ukraine, and the victory was, significantly, their first at a major tournament since their semi-final victory against Portugal at the 2006 World Cup.

 With that monkey off their back, Sweden would be right to be wary of a chest-beating outfit.

 The Swedes are out of the tournament after, in a match of toing and froing, they succumbed to a 3-2 loss versus the English.

 Their coach, Erik Hamren, has come under pressure following the failure, yet he has not shied away from criticism, stating he takes "responsibility for what we've done here".

 Sweden player to watch: Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It is impossible to look beyond Zlatan.

 He has an allure. This forward, with all due respect, is arguably a cut above his compatriots, yet he is guilty of fading in and out of matches.

 When he is involved, though, his impact can be devastating, and certainly he threatens to be the biggest threat to France.

 "We're playing for our honour against France," Sweden's captain said. "We are going to bring points with us back home.

 We've got one match left and will do something positive with it."

 France player to watch: Franck Ribery.

 Like Zlatan, Ribery is another footballer capable of the brilliant, but also an at times infuriating customer. Following criticism of his form for France, the wideman has managed to transfer something of his club form to his country during this tournament.

 Indeed, he completed the most dribbles at Euro 2012 after two rounds of matches.

 Boasting a blistering turn of pace, Ribery, who has one assist to his name in the competition thus far, has the talent to turn a tight game on its head.

 Key battle: Olof Mellberg v Karim Benzema.

 The contender for best beard at Euro 2012 endured a mixed last outing for his nation, as his brace looked poised to clinch Sweden a memorable comeback - in the process extending their historic hold over England - and subsequently keeping them at Euro 2012 beyond the group stage. Alas, the night ended in agony for the former Aston Villa defender.

 Faced with the height and power of Andy Carroll against England, the strengths of Benzema will test other facets of the Swede's game.

 Benzema has yet to open his goalscoring account at Poland and Ukraine, but he has threatened to send the net a-bulging.

 Indeed, any suggestion of dropping him from the side because his goals scored column reads 'zero' can be countered with the statistic that he is the top scorer (seven) and top assist provider (seven) for France under Blanc.

 Stat: France's shooting accuracy is the highest at Euro 2012: they've tested the opposition goalkeeper with 68% of shots.

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Co-hosts hit perfect storm

France secured an impressive 2-0 win over Ukraine in a game delayed an hour by a fierce thunderstorm.

 The first half was less than five minutes old when referee Bjorn Kuipers was forced to take the players off for their own safety due to torrential rain, thunder and lightning. Hundreds of fans had already retreated from their seats due to the downpour.

 There was the fear that the teams would have to come back on Saturday to try again, but at 1800 BST the players came back out and resumed.

 The delay did not seem to affect France, who controlled proceedings without taking advantage.

 Paris St Germain midfielder Menez, who replaced Florent Malouda in the starting line-up, was chief culprit as he missed two chances in the first half and had a goal ruled out for offside.

 He looked like continuing that form after the break until he eventually found the target and Newcastle midfielder Cabaye ensured they got just reward for their efforts.

 Menez had the ball in the net as early as the 16th minute but had strayed offside to receive Franck Ribery's slide-rule pass. He then fired over after again being picked out by Ribery, who had robbed Sergiy Nazarenko close to the byline as the midfielder dwelt on the ball too long.

 His third chance came from Ribery once more when the Bayern Munich winger latched on to Anatoliy Tymoshchuk's backpass to cross but Pyatov blocked with his legs.

 Ukraine's first effort produced the best save in the 34th minute when Andriy Shevchenko, two-goal hero of their opening win over Sweden, got behind centre-back Adil Rami to lash a half-volley into the near post, where Hugo Lloris blocked.

 But it was a brief respite as Philippe Mexes' powerful header from Samir Nasri's free-kick was turned behind by Pyatov.

 Menez's frustrating evening continued after the break when his clever diagonal right-to-left run produced another shooting opportunity, but he could not beat Pyatov from an increasingly narrowing angle.

 Shevchenko and Tymoshchuk almost made him pay with long-range efforts, the former driving a shot just past the right-hand angle of Lloris' goal.

 But the persevering Menez finally found a way through in the 53rd minute, skipping past right-back Yevhen Selin to squeeze a left-footed shot inside the post.

 Less than four minutes later Cabaye doubled the lead from Benzema's pass into him at the top of the penalty area, before then being denied by a post from 18 yards after a prolonged passing move.

 The victory was France's first in nine matches at major tournaments, ending a record run set with their opening draw against England.

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Breaking news : Ukraine vs France suspended

We had an inkling that this match might be in trouble when Ukraine's national anthem was greeted by a flash of lightning and a peal of thunder, but it wasn't entirely clear if that was the sky's salute to Andriy Shevchenko or something more... rainy.

 And then it got really, really, really wet.

 Lightning knifed through the sky, water poured down - we're talking biblical rainfall here - and the players were looking like miserable, half-drowned rodents.

 Nobody could do anything with the ball, the play was sloppy and the conditions were looking frankly dangerous even without the terrifying prospect of a lightning strike.

 Thankfully, play has now been suspended, with referee Björn Kuipers making the wholly sensible decision to order the players off the pitch and start building an ark or something. Hopefully the Donbass Arena can float, because this storm is absolutely ridiculous. Oh, and it's 0-0 still. We got about seven minutes of 'play'.

 It's unclear how quickly this will be over - hopefully the drainage system will be able to deal with this water, because the pitch is already starting to flood.

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Gerrard content with draw

England captain Steven Gerrard was satisfied after his side launched their Euro 2012 campaign with an encouraging 1-1 draw with France in Donetsk.

 Joleon Lescott nodded home the opener in the 31st minute only for Samir Nasri to beat Joe Hart at the near post with a fine strike nine minutes later.

 England tired in the second half, but they held France out to secure a point from their Group D opener. "We would have been delighted with a win but as you saw tonight France have got fantastic players,'' Gerrard said. "We caused them as many problems as they caused us so we're satisfied with the performance.

 "But we said before the game that win, lose or draw we wouldn't get carried away and that this was just a platform. It's great to get off the mark points-wise.

'' Gerrard was impressed by the performance of 18-year-old Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was preferred ahead of Stewart Downing on the left flank. "They're young players but good players. Wayne Rooney showed all those years ago that if you're good enough, you're old enough,'' Gerrard said.

 "Oxlade-Chamberlain showed tonight that he's good enough for this level. He's still got a lot of learning to do, but playing with experienced players he'll get there.

'' England coach Roy Hodgson was pleased with his side's defensive performance and felt they could have taken all three points. "France don't panic in the final third so you have to be very disciplined in your defending," he said.

 "To finish 1-1 and ask the questions of them that we did, I've got to be happy.

 "We kept them at bay and there weren't that many situations in front of our goal where I was panicking in any way. And there were a few situations in their third where we would have scored a second goal with a bit of luck." Hodgson refused to criticise the display of referee Nicola Rizzoli.

 "The referee did OK. It's foolish to start commenting on the referee's performance," he said. "Sometimes you'll get a bit of luck, sometimes not. I know that Steven (Gerrard) was aggrieved not to get a free-kick, but the referee was fair to both sides.

 It wasn't one-sided." England face Sweden on Friday but Hodgson, who reported a clean bill of health from the game, admitted the toughest opponents of Group D had been negotiated.

 "France are one of the favourites in the group,'' he said. "They'd gone 21 games unbeaten before today and people were tipping them to be potential winners of the tournament. We can't deny on paper they might be the hardest game, but I've got a lot of respect for Sweden and the Ukraine.

 "I've got to be very proud of that performance.

 Maybe that final ball needs to improve and we were maybe a bit anxious in the final third. But there were good signs of a team wanting to do well.

'' Hart was pleased with the way England had begun Euro 2012 and paid tribute to Nasri for his goal.

 "Samir's a clever player, we dropped off a little bit. It was a good goal and we have to concentrate on the good performance,'' Hart said. "You can question the team all you want, but you'll always get belief, pride and quality.

 "People forget that we're England and we're a good side. In that first 25 minutes they weren't ready for us.''

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Match of the day : France v England, including betting odds

England face France in the sweltering heat of Donetsk on Monday evening with expectations at their lowest. Despite the match having a 7pm kick-off time in the Ukraine, the temperature is still expected to be around 31 degrees Celsius and will test the players' fitness and conditioning.

 England supporters are often considered to have unrealistic expectations of a team which has long failed to live up to pre-tournament billing, but there is no such brash over-confidence this time with injuries and the suspension of Wayne Rooney.

 New coach Roy Hodgson in many ways cannot lose, as after his late appointment following the departure of Fabio Capello a place in the quarter-finals alone could be viewed as an achievement.

 The defence would seem to pick itself with Ashley Cole, Joleon Lescott, John Terry and Glen Johnson in front of Joe Hart - a backline which played 50 minutes as a unit against Belgium in England's final warm-up game.

 Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker will patrol the middle of the park with James Milner and Theo Walcot out wide.

 There is the chance that Hodgson could yet hand a starting place to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but his uncertain performance against the Belgians suggests he will be better as an impact substitute.

 Danny Welbeck has pushed himself in front of Andy Carroll for the role in front of Ashley Young. Whereas Hodgson is likely to play a defensive style and look to hit France on the break, Laurent Blanc's side have the flair to cause plenty of problems. How England deal with their fluid play - keeping shape and not allowing Les Bleus' attack to exploit space - could decide the game. France, unbeaten in 21 matches, had a mixed warm-up schedule, trailing 2-0 at home to Iceland before late goals earned a 3-2 win. But they improved in beating Serbia and were far more impressive in thrashing Estona 4-0 in Le Mans on Tuesday; the latter performance either acts as a pointer to their actual ability or could simply have masked the deficiencies.

 Patrice Evra was particularly suspect against Iceland and although he was replaced by Gael Clichy for the Serbia game he will keep his place with Philippe Mexes and Adil Rami in the centre. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris captains the side while Premier League target Mathieu Debuchy slots in at right-back.

 With Yann M'Vila out, Alou Diarra will play a holding role while Yohan Cabaye acts in a support role. Florent Malouda, Franck Ribery and Samir Nasri are a dangerous attacking triumvirate with Karim Benzema, who scored twice against Estonia, as the lone striker. The last time the two countries met was at Wembley in November 2010, when a youthful France side outclassed England 2-1.

 Benzema and Mathieu Valbuena put France in command before Peter Crouch scored a late consolation. Only 16 of the 34 players who featured in that game are at Euro 2012. France player to watch: Franck Ribery.

 The Bayern Munich midfielder-cum-forward has struggled to find top gear in international football, and yet much may rest on his shoulders. His forward drives will be a feature of France's approach and if he flatters to deceive then his team may do so too.

 England player to watch: Ashley Young. Just over a year ago Ashley Young had started only two matches for England but now he is one of the first names on the team-sheet.

 Acting as the conduit between midfield and the striker, Young has scored five goals in seven international appearances over the past 12 months, and created Welbeck's winner against Belgium.

 He will look to unlock the unconvincing centre-back pairing of Mexes and Rami. Key Battle: Patrice Evra v Theo Walcott Evra had a horrendous season at club level, as most Manchester United fans will readily testify, and he should be stretched by the Arsenal winger when England get forward.

 With eight Premier League goals and assists Walcott has had a productive season, but inconsistency is often his undoing. Trivia: Geoff Hurst is the only England player to score a hat-trick against France in a full international, in a 5-0 victory at Wembley in 1969.

Zinedine Zidane was sick on the pitch before taking the injury-time penalty which defeated England in 2004.

 Stats: England are without a win in five against France in all competitions, losing their last three. England have met France twice before at the European Championship, drawing 0-0 in 1992 and losing 2-1 at Euro 2004. Odds: France 2.50, the draw 3.00 and England 3.20 with bet365. The 0-0 draw is priced at 6.50. Prediction: Though England could get a result due to Hodgson's ability to get the most out of underdogs, France should have too much in the attacking third.

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