MTNFootball

The 2012 Euro represents a chance for France to forget the disastrous Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup campaigns, which saw the Bleus exit these two competitions without winning a single match.

Brought back on track by Laurent Blanc in the aftermath of the South African fiasco, France came out first in their group of qualifiers ahead of Bosnia, after having strung together nine matches without a defeat following a bad start against Belarus at the Stade de France.

The Bleus were drawn alongside England, Sweden and co-host country, Ukraine, in Group D and their first objective is to make it through the group phase of a competition that they have already won twice - in 1984 at home against Spain and in 2000 against Italy in Rotterdam - out of their seven participations.

The Tricolores’ attack will be led by Karim Benzema and Franck Ribéry, who have both enjoyed a successful season with their respective clubs, namely Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, while Manchester City midfielder, Samir Nasri, and Montpellier and Ligue 1 top striker, Olivier Giroud, remain Laurent Blanc’s trump cards of choice.

The coach will have to make do without FC Barcelona left back, Eric Abidal, who recently had a liver transplant, as well as his counterpart on the right, Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna, who suffered a fracture of the fibula against Norwich in the Premier League.