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[monks data]
France national football team
World Cup | Qualifiers
Oct 15, 2013 at 8pm UK
 
Finland national football team

3-0

Ribery (9'), Toivio (75' pen.), Benzema (88')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Preview: France vs. Finland

Sports Mole previews Tuesday's 2014 World Cup qualifier between France and Finland.

France welcome Finland on Tuesday knowing that anything other than three points would end their slim hopes of securing automatic qualification for next summer's World Cup.

The home side currently sit second in Group I on 14 points, but leaders Spain need just a point from their home match against Georgia to top the section, leaving France with a spot in the playoffs.

France enter the match on the back of successive wins over Belarus and Australia, but they recently went five games without scoring a single goal.

Finland will provide tough opposition having held Spain to a 1-1 draw last month and currently sit third in the table having won two, drawn three and lost two of their seven matches.

The corresponding fixture in the group took place in Finland last September, when France were 1-0 winners courtesy of a strike from Abou Diaby.

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud is expected to continue in attack for France at the expense of Karim Benzema, while Franck Ribery will also start in a wide position.

Liverpool centre-back Mamadou Sakho is also expected to come into the heart of the defence alongside Raphael Varane, but Mathieu Valbuena and Blaise Matuidi will start on the bench.

Finland, meanwhile, have no fresh injury concerns from their training sessions over the weekend and will name their strongest available lineup. Celtic's Teemu Pukki will lead their line, while experienced midfielder Teemu Tainio could also start.

Recent form

France: LDDWW

Finland: WDWLW

Possible starting lineups

France: Lloris; Debuchy, Varane, Sakho, Evra; Pogba, Cabaye, Nasri; Ribery, Giroud, Remy

Finland: Maenpaa; Halsti, Arkivuo, Lampi, Ring; Hamalainen, Hetemaj, Eremenko, Tainio; Pukki, Zeneli

Sports Mole says: 2-0


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Karim Benzema of France is mobbed by team mates after scoring the sixth goal during the International Friendly match between France and Australia at Parc des Princes on October 11, 2013
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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Netherlands Netherlands32107
Q Senegal flag Senegal32016
3 Ecuador flag Ecuador31114
4 Qatar Qatar30030

Group B

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Q England flag England32107
Q United States USA31205
3 Iran Iran31023
4 Wales flag Wales30121

Group C

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Q Argentina Argentina32016
Q Poland Poland31114
3 Mexico Mexico31114
4 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia31023

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q France France32016
Q Australia Australia32016
3 Tunisia Tunisia31114
4 Denmark Denmark30121

Group E

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Q Japan Japan32016
Q Spain Spain31114
3 Germany Germany31114
4 Costa Rica flag Costa Rica31023

Group F

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Q Morocco Morocco32107
Q Croatia Croatia31205
3 Belgium Belgium31114
4 Canada Canada30030

Group G

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Q Brazil Brazil32016
Q Switzerland Switzerland32016
3 Cameroon flag Cameroon31114
4 Serbia Serbia30121

Group H

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Republic of Korea South Korea31114
3 Uruguay flag Uruguay31114
4 Ghana flag Ghana31023


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