Russia vs France 27/03/18

27 March 2018

As a World Cup hosts, Russia had no commitments in the qualifications, but they are looking to step up their game by playing high-profile friendly matches against the strongest teams in the world. After an encouraging 3-3 draw with Spain, the Sbornaya suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Brazil last weekend, and they will try to rise again against France, who experienced a turbulent game against Colombia, to whom they’ve lost 3-2 thanks to a late penalty converted by Quintero. The Tri-colours have huge expectations ahead of the upcoming Wolrd Cup, but they’ve failed to demonstrate consistency so far, which seems to be their principal problem, considering the enormous quality they possess within their respective ranks. These two sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw last year, and this will be the second time they face each other in almost twenty years. Stanislav Cherchesov’s team are struggling to find a right form, as they’ve only won one out of their previous seven games, losing four times in the process, while France achieved six victories in last ten matches, including a stunning 4-0 win over the Netherlands in Paris.

Both coaches are expected to field their best formations. Didier Deschamps has all of his stars available except for Alexandre Lacazette, who is yet to recover from injury.