Didier Deschamps
Didier Deschamps has backed the decision to play the friendly after the attacks Getty

France host Russia in an international friendly on Tuesday, 29 March, as the hosts of this year's European Championships take on the forthcoming host of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Paris. The French come into the game on the back of an impressive 3-2 win over Netherlands at the Amsterdam ArenA and will be looking to press forth the advantage in the second of the double header friendlies scheduled for the international break.

Where to Watch

Kick-off is set for 8pm BST. The match will not be telecast live in the UK. Catch live updates of the game on the BBC website.

Overview

Manager Didier Deschamps is set to give Dimitri Payet his first start since June 2015 and a good performance against Russia may well win him a place in the squad travelling for the Euros. The Frenchman has been in brilliant form for West Ham and has single-handedly taken them to just one-point off a top four Premier League spot.

The manager will be hoping that he can have a similar effect on the French squad, which has not been wanting for talent following a series of good performances by players across different leagues. Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and Blaise Matuidi secured their names on the scoresheet against Netherlands and are likely to give way for fresh legs against Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia will be looking to give a good account of themselves, having been pitted against the likes of England, Wales and Slovakia in the group stages of the European Championships. They come into the game on the back of an impressive 3-0 win over Lithuania, where Denis Glushakov, Aleksandr Golovin and Fedor Smolov put themselves on the scoresheet.

What Managers Say

Didier Deschamps: "The important thing is to carry on from our victory against the Netherlands in Amsterdam when we face Russia at the Stade de France. I know the quality of each of the players and, when I have to make choices in this context, it is important that players have more playing time. [on Pogba's poor form] He set the bar very high, of course, from the start. We're expecting him to always be decisive -- spectacular. But if he doesn't do decisive things [in attack], that doesn't mean that he's not useful for the team. He can do more neutral, normal things but that in a collective are important as well. I'm not expecting him to score two or three goals every game... but inevitably the expectation is on a par with his qualities."

Betting Odds (betfair)

  • France Win: 1.55
  • Draw: 3.8
  • Russia Win: 6.5
France Russia