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France v England: lineup, statistics, preview


Preview of France v England

England Tomorrow night we open up the defense of the European crown against France.

The Lioness is placed in tough groups, including the Netherlands and Wales, and aims to get off to a strong start in Zurich.

However, it certainly isn’t easy for the French side, which has not lost its group stage game in the Euro since 2009.

The team registers a 2-1 victory in qualifying and experiences England fullback Lucy Bronze, and knows that Salina Wigman’s side must be at his best from the off.

She told the BBC:

“I don’t think France is necessarily afraid of England. They just have a lot of respect and I think we have a very talented team, which is just like them.

“We can test ourselves against a good team right away. There’s no surprise throughout the tournament. We know the criteria you have to be.

“When you reach these tournaments, you want to play in a big game with the best players. Why don’t you have it in your first game?”

French boss Laurent Bonaday made the surprising decision to kick Captain Wendy Leonard out of the team, recording scorer Eugenie Le Summer, and her former Lyon teammate Bronze believes it could undermine Les.

“Wendy is my good friend. She is a microcosm of what I describe as a captain figure,” said Leonard’s Bronze, who won 168 caps.

“When I was in Lyon, everything she did as a person and as a player was nothing you could be held responsible for. I’m sure she’ll be destroyed and not part of the Euro.

“The manager went differently, and that’s how soccer works sometimes, and that’s a huge shock.

“I want to play Wendy. For me, bringing such a person along could weaken the French team. I want to play against the strongest French team.”

France has never won a major tournament, but arrives in Switzerland on the back of eight consecutive wins.

However, the record comes with a warning. Bonaday said:

Midfielder Grace Guerro also believes that France’s mental state is key to success.

She said: “We are preparing for the tournament a year or two years ago, so we arrive at the competition and get eliminated immediately.

“It can be tiring, especially when you look at the (quality) teams we have.

“Our weakness is that we may not have much experience because we have not won the title (at the international level). In difficult times, we have to be able to get better because we were disappointed.”

France vs England team news

Mary Yerps and Fran Kirby retired from international football, but Millie Bright eliminated herself due to physical and mental fatigue.

Lauren James is unlikely to start after making his replacement comeback with a 7-0 warm-up victory over Jamaica.

France vs England forecast lineup

France: Worth Magnin. From Almeida, Mbok, Lakhla and Bacha. Gayoro, Gianfranco, Cultures. Diani, Baltimore, Catholic

England: Hampton; Bronze, Williamson, Greenwood, Carter. Sternway, Walsh. Mead, Toon, Hemp. Russo

How to watch France v England: TV and online stream

The French vs. UK kick is tomorrow night at 8pm. You can watch it on ITV and stream it on the ITVX app and website.



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