International Preview: France-Ecuador

France Aiming To Scale The Heights

France will finalise their 23 man squad to make the short hop over the Alps to Austria and Switzerland on Wednesday following the first of a series of three friendly matches against South American opposition.

Ecuador provide the opposition for les Bleus, who will be aiming to shed seven players the following day. Raymond Domenech is therefore likely to give those players he is still undecided about plenty of game time either from the outset or from the bench at the aptly named Stade des Alpes stadium in Grenoble.

Rumours have been circulating regarding Domenech's uncertainty over Nicolas Anelka in attack after his missed penalty in the Champions League final while Bafetimbi Gomis is very much regarded as an outsider to be taken to the European Championships by many commentators. Both will likely see some action against Ecuador.

Several of Domenech's squad only travelled to France's training base at Tignes on Sunday evening after weekend exertions and so the head coach is liable to allow these players a reprieve from a great deal of playing time.

The players that only arrived yesterday were the Lyon eight (Coupet, Clerc, Squillaci, Boumsong, Toulalan, Govou, Ben Arfa and Benzema), Mickael Landreau of PSG, Patrick Vieira of Inter Milan and Phillipe Mexes of AS Roma.

Central defender William Gallas has made no secret of his high expectations for this French side and therefore les Bleus will consider anything other than a victory to be a disappointment.

Ecuador: A Mountain to Climb

It would not be unfair to suggest that Ecuador will have a mountain to climb if they are to beat France on Tuesday evening in the shadow of the Alps.

Recent international appearances have been encouraging from Sixto Vizuete's charges as they have recorded victories over Peru (5-1) and Haiti (3-1) to give their new boss a winning start to life as the national team's coach.

France will, of course, offer much sterner opposition as the Ecuador squad prepare for their upcoming World Cup Qualifying matches against Argentina and Columbia.

After the Ecudor's unlikely success in qualifying for the second round of the last World Cup qualification for the competition in South Africa in two years time looks improbable; currently they have just 3 points from a possible 12 and sit third from bottom of the CONMEBOL qualifying group.

Away from Quito, the country's capital city, Ecuador have struggled, winning only once on their last seven visits to foreign soil, although in 2006 they reached the knockout stages of the World Cup in Germany - a major achievement.

Rather grandly Ecuador's squad for Tuesday's encounter boasts no less than 5 Barcelona players however they all play with the Guayaquil's homage to the Catalan giants. All 18 players are expected to get some game time with veteran defender Ivan Hurtado expected to close further in on the 150 cap mark.

TEAM NEWS

France

Raymond Domenech is expected to have close to a full panel of players available for the fixture however the big question marks remain over how he will use them. Often unpredictable with his methods the French chieftain will surely elected to test some of his fringe players while allowing those men that featured at the weekend a well earned break. Expect the likes of Evra, Flamini, Ben Arfa, Cissé and Gomis to play from the bench. Phillipe Mexes has a slight knee problem and is unlikely to be unnecessarily risked.

Predicted line-up: Frey, Sagnol, Abidal, Gallas, Thuram, Makelele, L. Diarra, Malouda, Ribéry, Nasri, Anelka

Ecuador

Of the eighteen man squad that Sixto Vizuete has named for the clash with France it is noticeable that there is no Giovanny Espinoza, who, along with Hurtado, has provided the backbone of the side for well over half a decade. Also missing is Edison Mendez, although the PSV winger has been tempted out of retirement after discussions with the coach.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

France

Should Samir Nasri be given an opportunity to start from the outset the young Marseille midfielder is likely to be the player to keep an eye on. Very offensively minded, the 20 year-old player is capable of carving defences to pieces but has yet to be given a real opportunity on the international stage. With some of France's top stars likely to be rested or without a point to prove, Tuesday's match in Grenoble could provide a stage that the player could well shine on.

Ecuador

If Ecuador are to be successful on Tuesday evening then they will need an outstanding performance from veteran captain Ivan Hurtado. Hurtado was simply brilliant in the 2006 World Cup, eventually being named in the team of the tournament. Although the vastly experienced 33 year-old may have lost some of his pace he remains a classy, intelligent defender with great organisational skills.

PREDICTION

Friendly internationals are rarely as clear-cut as they are expected to be while France are not a team that tend to score freely in meaningless matches. In addition the French also struggle to break well organised defensive units down, losing twice to Scotland in the Euro2008 qualifiers. Expect les Bleus to win but don't expect an avalanche of goals.

France 1-0 Ecuador

Robin Bairner