France usually line up 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris

Made captain by Blanc, who has worried aloud about a lack of natural leaders. Lloris is no Peter Schmeichel but, at 25, the Lyon keeper has been around a while. Has 33 caps to Joe Hart’s 18. Whether Lloris has Hart’s presence is a question England should probably pose.

Defence: Debuchy, Rami, Mexes, Evra

Those seeing Lille’s Mathieu Debuchy for the first time should expect a mighty atom of a right back. Debuchy is as often in the opposition’s half as France’s. He has become a part of his side’s attacking strategy and will force England’s left side back.

Under scrutiny: Patrice Evra (left) knows Gael Clichy is after his place

Patrice Evra we know. His status is under scrutiny with Gael Clichy waiting to step in. Evra has been criticised for slackness in a warm-up game against Iceland, which France won from 2-0 down. Like Debuchy he presses forward.

 That leaves gaps, which Iceland, ranked 131 in the world, exploited. Theo Walcott would like the chance of a similar impact. In central defence, despite France conceding only four goals in 10 qualifiers, the Adil Rami-Philippe Mexes pairing could be vulnerable. It is possible an invigorated Andy Carroll may bully them if he features.

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