As hosts of EURO 2016, France do not have to worry about securing qualification for next summer's tournament. However, that has not stopped them from preparing by taking on some of their future opponents in friendly warm-ups, and tomorrow, they will welcome Armenia as Didier Deschamps seeks to fine-tune his starting XI for the big event in about eight months' time.
France
Without any pressure to qualify, Les Bleus have turned their attention to getting as much preparations in as possible. Since the end of March, they have played six friendlies, with three wins against Serbia, Portugal, and Denmark and three losses versus Brazil, Belgium, and shockingly, Albania. Not surprisingly, French fans were not impressed with the team's loss to the Albanians and were not shy about showing their disappointment by booing the team off the pitch. However, France were able to bounce back after the shock defeat by defeating both Portugal and Serbia, and as such will be coming into this game seeking to keep up the positive momentum against Armenia.
In terms of personnel, Deschamps is spoilt with a wealth of talent. In attack, they have Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann, and young rising star Anthony Martial. Rounding out this group are Olivier Giroud - albeit the Arsenal man isn't exactly loved by the fans at the moment - and Alexandre Lacazette, who has been in poor form after winning the Ligue 1 scoring crown last season. Midfielders like Morgan Schneiderlin, Blaise Matuidi, and Mathieu Valbuena will be likely fielded in the starting XI and will hope to solidify their places as part of the starting crop at EURO 2016. Unfortunately, as per recent reports, Juventus star Paul Pogba will have to sit out after sustaining an ankle injury in training.
And in defense, they have a good blend of experience and youth, with Patrice Evra, Kurt Zouma, Raphael Varane, and Bacary Sagna all vying for a permanent spot in the team's back-line. Finally, team captain Hugo Lloris is absolutely certain to retain his spot as the team's no. 1 between the posts, despite the presence of experienced keeper Steve Mandanda.
Given that their upcoming opponents Armenia are out of contention for a EURO 2016 spot, this could represent an excellent chance for Deschamps to tinker with his formation and personnel. However, as France are playing at home, he may opt to field a strong line-up so as to avoid any unpleasant surprises that would not sit well with the home crowd.
Armenia
Sitting second-to-last in their group, Armenia's EURO 2016 qualifying campaign is over. Only Serbia, who have lost the majority of their matches and were deducted three points have fared even worse, although the Balkan nation have at least won one match whilst Armenia have yet to win any of their games.
Nonetheless, the team, nicknamed the Havakakan, will be coming into this match having stopped the downward spiral by holding Denmark to a goalless draw last month. Before then, they had followed up a 1-1 draw with Serbia by losing five straight matches, including both home and away to Portugal and being defeated in the reverse fixture by Serbia.
With nothing but pride to play for, Armenia will be using this game as a way to continue improving their squad whilst trying to avoid being embarrassed too much before they take on Albania in a dead-rubber match this Sunday.
Will France heap more misery on struggling Armenia? Or will the visitors shock the EURO 2016 hosts with a morale-boosting win?
Make sure you don't miss out on Thursday's international friendly by bookmarking LiveSoccerTV.com's special France vs. Armenia page for viewing times and options for your specific location.
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