France thirst for revenge against wounded Germany

France is unbeaten in their last nine games, while Germany has not lost in their last six.

July 06, 2016 11:14 am | Updated 11:14 am IST - Marseille, France

Didier Deschamps' talented France block the path of Germany's spluttering juggernaut in Thursday's Euro 2016 semifinal and the world champions have mounting personnel problems.

With an element of revenge in the air, France can expect near-fanatical support from home fans in Marseille as they seek a place in Sunday's Paris final.

The hosts are buoyed by a 5-2 quarterfinal thumping of plucky minnows Iceland when Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet all netted at the Stade de France.

Germany is also confident mood, despite missing key players with injury and suspension after their penalty shoot-out win over Italy in the last eight.

France is unbeaten in their last nine games, while Germany has not lost in their last six.

“For us, there is no fear. We know that France are loaded with good individual players, but they are under pressure as hosts,” said Germany forward Thomas Mueller.

“Iceland didn't look so happy with the goals they conceded.

“They have our respect, but I am optimistic that we will find solutions (to the injury problems).

For us there is no loss of quality.”

German injuries

Germany's tense penalty shoot-out win in Bordeaux came at a high price.

Centre-back Mats Hummels picked up a yellow card which sees him suspended in Marseille.

Striker Mario Gomez and midfielder Sami Khedira picked up thigh and groin injuries respectively which rule them out of the semifinal.

To compound their problems, Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger is highly doubtful with a knee strain.

Germany coach Joachim Loew is set to resort to a 4-2-3-1 formation having used a 3-5-2 against Italy.

With Gomez out, World Cup-winner Mario Goetze is set to start up front, but Loew said he may play his Bayern Munich team-mate Thomas Mueller alongside him in attack.

Gomez's thigh tear means he will also miss the final, should Germany progress.

With Hummels suspended, Shkodran Mustafi or Benedikt Hoewedes will partner Jerome Boateng at centre-back with Joshua Kimmich at right-back and Jonas Hector on the left.

Loew has said he expects to introduce a new face into the midfield with Liverpool's Emre Can or Julian Weigl of Borussia Dortmund set to partner Toni Kroos in the defensive midfield.

France striker Giroud has scored against Manuel Neuer in each of the last three games for France and Arsenal, a threat the Germans must counter.

"He is a very dangerous poacher inside the box," said Neuer.

"He is strong in the air, he is dangerous for central defenders.

"But we know him and can prepare for him and they have a lot of other quality players."

For France, defender Adil Rami and midfielder N'Golo Kante are back in contention after missing the win over Iceland through suspension.

The French camp is full of praise for the world champions, but the message is clear.

"We'd like to write another chapter in French football history," said Giroud while French sports daily L'Equipe ran the front-page headline 'Thirsty for Revenge' on Tuesday.

Memories of Seville

Just as it was for the Germans against Italy, the semi-final is a fixture steeped in history.

Les Bleus lost to Germany in the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana, thanks to Hummels' first-half header.

And France has never fully forgiven Germany for their penalty shoot-out defeat in a bitterly contested World Cup semifinal in Spain in 1982.

An epic 3-3 draw, with four goals scored in extra-time, came down to a penalty shoot-out which Germany won 5-4, but the match in Seville is remembered for a brutal incident.

France's Patrick Battiston was knocked unconscious, with two teeth missing and three cracked ribs, after a collision with Germany goalkeeper Harald Schumacher.

However, the German camp has been eager to play down the historical significance to focus on the here and now.

"The chance to win two titles back-to-back is not something you get everyday. We're looking forward to it," said Mueller as Germany look to add the European crown to their world title.

France play Germany in the Euro 2016 semifinal on Thursday looking for their first win over their neighbours at a major tournament since 1958.

Here are the classic France v Germany matches:

France 0 Germany 1

World Cup quarterfinal, July 4, 2014

Over 74,000 fans packed the Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro to see France and Germany meet for the fourth time at a World Cup and the Germans walked away victorious.

After just 13 minutes, centre-back Mats Hummels got ahead of his marker Raphael Varane to meet Toni Kroos's free-kick and head past France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

France striker Karim Benzema spurned a late chance to level and take the match into extra-time when he shot straight at Germany 'keeper Manuel Neuer.

France's third consecutive World Cup defeat to Germany left many of their debutant players, including Antoine Griezmann, in tears.

Germany's win laid the foundations for a triumphant campaign that saw Joachim Loew's men hammer Brazil 7-1 in the semis before beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time in the final.

France 0 West Germany 2

World Cup semi-final, June 25, 1986

Four years after the infamous Schumacher-Battiston incident, relations between two European giants had barely thawed.

Any pre-match nerves were kicked into touch after just nine minutes when Andreas Brehme gave the Germans an early lead in Guadalajara.

The combined talents of Michel Platini, Jean Tigana, Luiz Fernandez and Alain Giresse failed to conjure a leveller and West Germany, with Harald Schumacher still in goal, were left rejoicing when Rudi Voeller hit their second in the final minute of regulation time.

Germany's celebrations did not last as Italy won the Madrid final 3-1.

West Germany 3 France 3 (West Germany win 5-4 on penalties)

World Cup semi-final, July 8, 1982

Considered one of the all-time World Cup classics, West Germany's semi-final win over France in 1982 will forever be overshadowed by goalkeeper Harald Schumacher's mid-air charge on Patrick Battiston, leaving the French defender with broken teeth and broken ribs.

He briefly slipped into a coma and teammate Michel Platini said he feared Battiston had died on the pitch because he had no pulse.

Schumacher, who has always said he was going for the ball, went unpunished because Dutch referee Charles Corver stated he did not see the incident.

The violence eclipsed a classic match between the European foes, Platini levelling from the penalty spot only minutes after Pierre Littbarski had given the Germans a 17th minute lead.

The game went to extra-time, where France took a 3-1 lead thanks to Marius Tresor and Alain Giresse, only for Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Klaus Fischer to pull the match level 3-3.

At the penalty shootout, Maxime Bossis's missed spot-kick handed a 5-4 win to West Germany, who went on to lose the final to Argentina 3-2.

"It is a scar that will remain forever," said France's midfield linchpin Giresse.

Post-competition, a French newspaper poll asked which German was the least popular in France: Schumacher beat Adolf Hitler into second.

France 6 West Germany 3

World Cup 3rd place match, June 28, 1958

A comprehensive 6-3 win over West Germany to claim a consolation third-place finish in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden remains France's only competitive victory over the Germans.

With four goals in the nine-goal thriller, Just Fontaine emerged as a hero for Les Bleus after a performance that also saw Raymond Kopa hit a penalty and Yvon Douis hit the net in the 50th minute.

Fontaine's 13 goals at the 1958 finals remains a record for a single World Cup tournament. © AFP, 2016

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