Doubts surrounding Desailly

Knee bother
The 35-year-old, who has won 115 caps for his country, sat out France's 1-0 win against Ukraine on Sunday and has not appeared for Les Bleus since their friendly with Brazil on 20 May because of a knee injury. In addition, he has played only 117 minutes for his club, Chelsea FC, since 3 April, largely due to the imperious form shown by compatriot William Gallas and England's John Terry.

Santini faith
However, despite his lack of match practice, France coach Jacques Santini believes Desailly still has an important part to play. "I have learnt a lot with players like him, and not only as far as football is concerned," said Santini, who fielded Mikaël Silvestre and Lilian Thuram in central defence against the Ukrainians. "Whether he starts or not on Sunday will not have any consequences on the group dynamic."

Contribution appreciated
Gallas, Robert Pires and Zinedine Zidane all spoke warmly of Desailly's contribution to the French squad, with the latter the most obvious candidate to replace the central defender as captain.

'Long wait'
The Real Madrid CF playmaker was in cautious mood as he looked ahead to the England game, saying: "Even a draw could be a good result for us. I have been waiting a long time for this match, we have to avoid defeat at all costs."

'Tough and physical'
The France No10 was fulsome in his praise of the opposition, saying: "Every English player can pose us problems. I love [Paul] Scholes and [David] Beckham had a great season. The match will be very tough and physical, but I have absolute faith in France. This first game will have a huge influence on the rest of the competition."