France must overcome injuries and poor form

PARIS : France are among the favourites to win Euro 2024 but their track record in the competition, a series of injuries and some players' poor form mean Les Bleus will head into the competition without any certainties.

The World Cup runners-up have a comfortable draw in Group D with the Netherlands, Poland and Austria. However, coach Didier Deschamps will need to get creative with his defence in the absence of Lucas Hernandez, who sustained a serious knee injury and was ruled out of the tournament.

With Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate, who were both brilliant at the 2022 World Cup, going through a rough patch and having lost their place in their respective clubs' starting line-ups, the team's task is not an easy one.

To make matters worse, goalkeeper Mike Maignan has been struggling with injuries this season and his recent history offers few guarantees that he will be able to maintain his fitness throughout.

France's savoir faire on the big stage, however, is second to none, and they showed it at the World Cup by reaching the final despite entering the tournament on the back of disappointing performances.

But in 12 years in charge, Deschamps has not won the European championship, with France's best result under his tenure being a runners-up spot in 2016 on home soil.

In the last edition, they were knocked out in the last 16 by Switzwerland on penalties, a failure they will want to put behind them for good in Germany.

"I didn't win the Euro as a coach but a lot of coaches didn't win it. After the World Cup, there's nothing bigger than the Euros. We're going to approach the next one with ambition but also with a clear head," Deschamps said.

"I'm well aware that with everything we've done, expectations are getting higher and