France look to secure Round of 16 berth against tenacious Peru

Les Bleus will be looking for a substantially improved performance along with the three points.

France and Peru head into an encounter that is set to be a decisive one, not just for their own fortunes, but for the overall outcome of Group C. France can potentially book passage to the knockout stage with a win, while Peru likely need at least a point to avoid suffering an painful early exit on their FIFA World Cup return.

France opened with a 2-1 win over Australia, though it was an indifferent performance from Les Bleus who needed an unlikely own goal to edge past the Socceroos. But France have a galaxy of high-level attacking stars in their arsenal, so the odds are against a second successive flat performance in the attacking third.

Peru, for their part, will feel they deserve a slice of luck after their unfortunate 1-0 loss to Denmark on Saturday in their first World Cup match for 36 years. Opening nerves may have now settled, but the pressure remains on the South Americans who have little margin for error against a high-profile opponent.

Team reporter analysis

Adrien Gingold (France)

“France’s players are divided between the satisfaction of victory and frustration at the nature of their performance. However, every squad member is aware that the team now has to step-up in order to overcome a very hungry Peru, and a strong work ethic was on display at training this week. Now, the question is: will Didier Deschamps start with the same young line-up, or will he call back the experienced Giroud and Matuidi?”