Fresh France look to cross finishing line

Following their 1-1 draw in Germany on Friday, France are in the driving seat to progress to next summer's UEFA European Under-21 Championships but that will not dissuade coach Erick Mombaerts from making personnel changes.

Fresh legs
Mombaerts has only made one addition to his squad – bringing in Olympique Lyonnais goalkeeper Hugo Lloris from the senior selection – and the France tactician is likely to shuffle his starters as he looks for the combination that will secure his side's qualification. "We are looking for a good mix of experience and fresh players," he said. "We especially need an element of freshness, though, and regarding this, we have some very good options." AJ Auxerre striker Julien Quercia could therefore replace one of the two players who started up front in Madgeburg, OGC Nice's Loïc Rémy and Jérémy Menez of AS Roma, both of whom were required to do a lot of running in the first leg. Lloris is also likely to start in place of Rémy Riou.

Extra man
Quercia was born not far from Metz in Florange, and Mombaerts is counting on the local support to push his side over the line. "I expect huge support from the Metz fans," Mombaerts added. "If this was boxing, we might have won the first round, but the fight is not over. I hope the fans will push the players to dig deep and find the resources to help us succeed. They can act as a '12th player' and can raise us up to a new level. If they want a passionate match, they won't be disappointed."

Tough task
Germany had taken an early lead in Friday's meeting through Ashkan Dejagah only for Younes Kaboul to equalise soon afterwards. Mombaerts' counterpart, Dieter Eilts, is fully aware of the task his side face but while acknowledging France have the upper hand, he believes his side have a great opportunity. "We still have a chance of reaching the finals," he said, "but we are definitely under pressure." However, the 43-year-old coach will be without two influential midfielders following first-leg injuries after VfB Stuttgart's Sami Khedira tore ankle ligaments and Marko Marin – who had been brought in from the national squad – pulled his calf.

'Fight hard'
Despite this, Eilts is confident about his team's chances. "We are looking forward to it," he said. "We will have to fight hard. The goal we conceded in the first match was a shocking moment for us and we will have to concentrate better in the second leg." Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer added: "After two years' preparation, we are determined to reach our aim. The first-leg result is not too bad. France only scored one goal, so that we still have a big chance to qualify."