After showing positive signs in their 2-1 victory over Costa Rica last week,
France took a backwards step by only managing a 1-1 draw against Tunisia in their most recent friendly. This meeting with China will be the last for France before their
World Cup opener against Uruguay and Les Bleus must hit top form if they are to mount a serious campaign in South Africa.
The match will take place in Reunion, a French island just off the east coast of southern Africa. French manager
Raymond Domenech will be looking for a performance similar to the May 26 match against Costa Rica. That night he deployed a 4-3-3 formation that looked incredibly promising offensively. The following match against Tunisia showed a noticeable lack of creativity up front and a
William Gallas header would save France the embarrassment of losing against a much lower ranked team.
China will not be travelling to South Africa this year but manager
Gao Hongbo is preparing his campaign for the Asian Cup that begins January 2011. China have a hit a high note recently after winning the 2010 East Asian Football Championship without conceding a single goal.
China's most recent match was an away match against Portugal where they lost 2-0. Playing against sterner competition is good for this team and Hongbo will relish another chance to take on les Bleus. The first time these teams met was during the build-up to the last World Cup, where
France grabbed a 3-1 victory. The Chinese put in a respectable effort against a side that contained the likes of Zinedine Zidane and an in-form
Thierry Henry.
Considering
France's recent stumble against Tunisia, it seems that they are not reliable at the moment. China come into this match with nothing to lose and everything to prove and could be dangerous.
China have a tough defense and France has not conceded many goals recently either, so fewer goals seems to be the logical choice here.
France - China PR
Friday 4 May, 2010
Kickoff: 5:00 PM (GMT)
Venue: Stade Michel Volnay (Reunion)
Tip: Under 3.5 goals
Best Odds: 1.55 @ BetClic
