France hopes to turn a corner in friendly against Danes
France is hoping to bounce back in a friendly against Denmark in Saint-Etienne on Sunday after a 3-1 defeat earlier in the week to Brazil. French coach Didier Deschamps has confirmed that Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane will be captain, the third time in 19 appearances for his country as skipper.
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“It gives me great pride,” said Varane. “It comes with great responsibility too.”
The 21-year-old first wore the captain’s armband against Serbia last autumn and became France’s youngest-ever captain in the post-war period.
Varane, who started his career at Racing Club de Lens, put Les Bleus in front against Brazil with an early header at Stade de France.
France’s regular captain Hugo Lloris, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur in England, is out due to a knee injury. He needed stitches after colliding with one of his teammates shortly after kickoff against Leicester on 22 March.
During Saturday’s press conference, Deschamps played down France’s defeat to Brazil and looked ahead to playing against Denmark, a team he described as having a “different profile”.
“When you’ve had a bad performance, sometimes you have to wait for a long time. This is just three days,” the French coach said.
Sunday’s fixtures
Friendlies
- France v Denmark
- Scotland v Gibraltar
- Ireland v Poland
- Georgia v Germany
- Northern Ireland v Finland
- Romania v Faroe Islands
- Hungary v Greece
- Albania v Armenia
- Portugal v Serbia
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