Okuka's men merit French respect

France coach René Girard has called on his players to show the same spirit that has taken them to the verge of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship semi-finals when they meet Serbia and Montenegro in Braga on Sunday.

'Spirit'
France top Group A after victories against Portugal and Germany and will only miss out should they lose by more than five goals and Germany win against Portugal in the night's other match. Girard stressed the job is not yet done. "We still haven't qualified, we have to be cautious," he said. "We have to keep the same spirit, this motivation we've shown so far."

Faty rested
Things are falling into place for the coach. Even the flowers arranged on his table at Saturday's press conference were in the bleu, blanc et rouge of the national side. But Girard hasn't had it all his own way, and he will make changes as his team get to grips with the demanding match schedule. Mathieu Flamini (thigh) has already returned home while Jacques Faty will be rested after straining a hamstring against Germany.

Le Tallec back
Jean-Michel Badiane comes into a defence that is yet to concede a goal despite having also been deprived of Ronald Zubar and Gaël Clichy before the tournament. On a positive note, striker Anthony Le Tallec, France's leading scorer in qualifying, is fit following a groin muscle problem and is likely to feature. "I hope to play, I'm in top form," he said.

High hopes
France have been the pick of the championship so far but Serbia and Montenegro coach Dragomir Okuka insists his side will not be overawed. "We're expecting a very tough match, especially when you consider they haven't let in a goal," he said. "But every team can be defeated. We'll get a good result if we can match the level of play we showed against Portugal."

'Ambition'
Serbia and Montenegro were 2-0 winners in Barcelos, improving markedly on a disappointing opening-day loss to Germany. Any tension within the squad following that game was lifted during a team meeting, and Okuka is confident his charges can build on Thursday's triumph. "Our ambition and determination is most important," he said. "We will be focused."

Striking problem
Okuka's attacking options have been restricted by injury to strikers Mirko Vučinič and Djordje Rakič. Vučinič has flown home after the recurrence of a knee injury while Rakič, an unused substitute so far, strained a muscle in training and is unlikely to figure against France either. Okuka is tempted to stick with the lineup that prevailed over Portugal, but will wait until the morning to make a final decision.

Late selection
"The most important thing is that the players who played against Portugal are all fine," he said. "The old adage says you shouldn't change a winning team, but we have had two very hard matches so far so we will have to see. Tomorrow is a long way away."