As hosts of next year's highly anticipated EURO tournament, France have already secured their spot without navigating through a series of potentially tricky qualifying matches. However, this does not mean that Didier Deschamps's side have been sitting on their laurels; rather, les Bleus have featured in a series of friendlies against sides they could possibly face next summer.
Save for defeats to tournament favorites Belgium and a shock 1-0 reversal to Albania, next summer's hosts have looked pretty solid in friendly meetings with Portugal, Denmark, and Serbia, but they will surely face much stiffer opposition as they prepare to lock horns with fellow European heavyweights Germany and England.
France
Although Friday's hosts will be coming into this game with five wins out of their last eight friendlies dating back to a March defeat against Brazil, there is an air of uncertainty and discomfort permeating through the squad. The team's preparations for this blockbuster friendly have been overshadowed by a rumbling controversy involving star striker Karim Benzema, who was recently arrested after being accused of attempting to blackmail his own national teammate Mathieu Valbuena regarding a sex tape.
Neither the Real Madrid star nor the Lyon midfielder have been included in the squad, and despite the latter's insistence that there are no hard feelings between him and Benzema, it remains to be seen how this sordid affair could affect the overall morale and cohesivness among Deschamps's men. And in taking in the reigning world champions in their first meeting since the 2014 World Cup, this will represent, of course, an excellent opportunity for the hosts to really test their mettle against a side that they will likely face next summer if they wish to win the EURO title on home soil.
The absences of Benzema and Valbuena will also represent a good chance for other players vying to stake their claim in the team's starting XI for next summer, including Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann and young rising Manchester United starlet Anthony Martial. Another who has been given an opportunity at senior level is Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman, who has done well since departing Juventus for the Bavarian powerhouse earlier this season.
Germany
Meanwhile, Joachim Low's team, who were knocked out by Italy in the 2012 EURO tournament have, not surprisingly, already booked their ticket to next summer's event. However, this has not made die Mannschaft immune from some criticism, especially after some poor showings against the likes of Poland and a surprise loss to the Republic of Ireland. Although they were able to grind out a win against Georgia, the team still looked far from convincing and Germany will be keen on underlying their title credentials with a better showing against a familiar opponent this Friday.
The unpredictable nature of Germany's performances have thus allowed some players who were on the fringes to force their way back into Low's plans; conversely, there are those who could be fighting for their international futures after failing to impress when handed opportunities to play. Although he has floated in and out of the squad since EURO 2012, Mario Gomez has been given a chance to stake his claim for a spot in the final 23 for next summer.
On the other hand, Marco Reus, who missed out on the World Cup due to injury, was quite disappointing during qualifiers and will not have a chance to redeem himself as die Schwarzgelben attacker's injury crisis yet continues. His former Dortmund colleague Mario Gotze will also not feature due to fitness problems of his own. Meanwhile, the absence of stars like Reus and Gotze mean that Max Kruse, who despite being 27 has found his international opportunities limited, could further highlight his credentials to his boss after coming off the bench to score the goal to secure qualification against Georgia last month.
Stats, facts, and head-to-head
Naturally, France and Germany are quite familiar to each other. The last time these two titans met was during the 2014 World Cup, when die Mannschaft powered past les Bleus 1-0 in the quarter-finals en route to winning the tournament. Prior to then, Germany again came out on top during a 2013 friendly; however, before that win, it was France who had enjoyed the upper hand. Out of seven games dating back to a 1996 friendly clash, the 1998 World Cup winners had won four and drawn one prior to suffering back-to-back losses in 2013 and then in 2014.
Although it's just a friendly, fans and neutrals alike should hopefully be in for a treat as two of Europe's most esteemed sides lock horns in preparation for next summer's EURO tournament. Will France get revenge on Germany after knocking them out of last summer's World Cup? Or will Germany send a strong signal that they are very much still the same dangerous side that successfully battled their way through to victory in Brazil?
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