What: 2010 FIFA World Cup
Who: France v Uruguay
When: Friday 11th June, 2010, at 19:30 UK Time
Where: Green Point Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa
Rekindling the Chemistry
France have one of the most impressive squads in the World Cup on paper, but Les Bleus will be struggling immensely with confidence going into their first match against Uruguay. The football heavyweights barely qualified for the tournament, needing to win a highly controversial playoff tie against the Republic of Ireland in extra time in order to make the cut for South Africa.
Since the whole pandemonium surrounding Thierry Henry’s handball that saw coach Raymond Domenech’s boys go through, the France squad has been in disarray, failing to find the form that saw them reach the final of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
France have only managed a single win in their last five matches, with their latest contest resulting in a 1-0 loss to minnows China. In order for Les Bleus to find success in the tournament, Domenech will have to find a way to snap his boys out of their slump, and get them to start performing in the way that is expected of such world class talents. Despite the lack of chemistry at the moment though, the likes of Franck Ribery, Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda and Yoann Gourcuff will always be a threat to any opposition team.
Banking on Firepower
Uruguay made their way into the World Cup through the qualifying playoffs once again, much like they did in 2001 and 2005. The South American side are still having trouble beating the best in their region, but have proven to be dangerous in attack throughout their campaign.
With prolific Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan, who finished the last season with 28 goals, leading the line for Oscar Washington Tabarez’s side, La Celeste are always a threat in attack. Sebastian Abreu has also been hitting form at the right time, adding to the team’s dynamic in front of goal.
Uruguay have been impressive in their last two friendly matches leading up to the World Cup, dispatching of Switzerland and Israel with plenty of goals scored. On the back of their latest victories, La Celeste will be going into their first match with plenty of belief that they can dispatch of a slumping France side.
Recent form
France:
France 2-1 Costa Rica (27/05; Friendly)
Tunisia 1-1 France (31/05; Friendly)
France 0-1 China (05/06; Friendly)
Uruguay:
Uruguay 1-1 Costa Rica (19/11; World Cup Qualifying Playoff)
Switzerland 1-3 Uruguay (03/03; Friendly)
Uruguay 4-1 Israel (27/05; Friendly)
Players to watch
France – Yoann Gourcuff: The young attacking midfielder has been thrust into the role of playmaker for the slumping France squad, stepping into the position that Zinedine Zidane formerly held with extreme success. Although Les Bleus will always have the likes of Franck Ribery and Florent Malouda to rely on for a piece of magic, it will be down to 23-year-old Gourcuff to pull the strings in midfield and create chances for his side.
Uruguay – Diego Forlan: Uruguay fans will be extremely pleased that the Atletico Madrid striker is going into the World Cup in red hot form. It will be important for Forlan to carry his impressive streak into the massive tournament, as La Celeste will rely heavily on his ability to find the back of the net.
Match prediction
With the France squad in disarray, it will certainly be interesting to see how they perform in their first match against Uruguay. With the South American side flying going into the World Cup, Les Bleus are in for a tough match in Cape Town. Count on La Celeste’s attacking prowess to shock the Frenchmen 2-1.
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