With the EURO 2016 tournament kicking off next summer, France, as hosts, have no pressure to qualify. Nonetheless, Les Bleus will be feeling a different kind of pressure to impress, especially given that they have not won a major title since EURO 2000 and finished runners-up during the World Cup in 2006. As such, they have been featuring in friendly matches against many of the teams they could face starting in June of 2016, but have experienced mixed results.
France
Didier Deschamps's men have played in five friendlies thus far and have lost three and won two of them, including a recent hard-fought win over Portugal last week. Against the teams in Group I, which is made up of five sides - Albania, Armenia, Denmark, Portugal, and Serbia - next year's hosts have been victorious in two, against Portugal and Denmark, but were shocked to be on the losing end against this year's surprise packages Albania.
In 2014, France followed up their World Cup quarter-final exit with a strong run of wins in their six friendlies played between September and November, so their inconsistent form will be something of concern to Deschamps. Were it not for Mathieu Valbuena coming on as a late substitute to grab a goal via a beautiful free-kick against Portugal, France would have been coming into this friendly match against Serbia on a three-match win-less streak.
Following this game, France will feature in six more friendlies, including against teams like Germany, England, and the Netherlands before commencing their EURO 2016 tournament on June 10th. Although the win over Portugal would have lifted their spirits, it came at an unfortunate cost due to Nabil Fekir suffering a knee injury. Fekir, who had been in sparkling form for Lyon and had netted four times in four games, was making his full international debut and will be sorely missed by his club now that he will be out for at least six months.
However, rising young star Anthony Martial, who is now the world's most expensive teenager following signing for Manchester United from Monaco could make his full debut. The 19-year-old won his first cap at senior level after coming on as a sub versus Portugal and will hope to get more game-time as he hopes to force his way into his manager's plans for the upcoming EURO competition.
Serbia
Meanwhile, Serbia, will not be even featuring at next year's tournament. The Оrlovi (Eagles) started off well, drawing France in a friendly back in September before earning a point against Armenia the following month. However, it all came apart after being punished due to disruption and violence in a viciously contested game against Albania in Belgrade. Despite the game being halted as 0-0, Serbia were not only docked points but also saw the win given as a 3-0 result to the Albanians, and it was all downhill rolling for Radovan Ćurčić's men.
Despite the wealth of talent at their disposal - with names like Branislav Ivanovic, Nemanja Matic and Aleksandar Kolarov - part of their roster, Serbia went on a three match losing streak in their next qualifying games. They were defeated both at home and away against Denmark and also lost to Portugal, despite Matic grabbing a beautiful equalizer in the 61st minute.
Interestingly, their disappointing performances do not extend to their friendly games. Following the two straight losses in Belgrade - including their forfeited match against Albania - Serbia defeated Greece and followed up their loss to Portugal with a 4-1 hammering of Azerbaijan. All in all, excluding a narrow 1-0 loss to Brazil in a friendly last summer, Serbia have either won or drawn in eight out of their last nine friendlies. They were able to restore some pride after beating Armenia - another team that has been eliminated - in their recent game, but it was more a matter of pride.
Will France continue building on their winning streak? Or will Serbia, who drew them 1-1 in the reverse fixture last year manage to frustrate them yet again?
Make sure you don't miss out on this interesting friendly clash! We've got you all covered here at LiveSoccerTV.com, so feel free to check out our special France vs. Serbia page for all viewing options and times for your specific location.
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