France v Germany: We have no fear, insists Didier Deschamps
France coach says his quarter-final "will be a pleasure" for his team
France coach Didier Deschamps insisted that his team have no reason to fear Germany when the sides clash in the World Cup quarter-finals at the Maracana Stadium on Friday.
“There is no apprehension or fear. There is no reason for us to feel any. Germany are a solid side with lots of experience of this level but this game will be a pleasure for us and we are preparing ourselves as well as possible for it,” Deschamps said.
The match will be the first competitive meeting of the nations since West Germany beat France 2-0 in the 1986 World Cup semi-finals, four years after they also triumphed on penalties when the teams met at the same stage of the competition in Spain.
Friday’s match offers France the opportunity to gain revenge, though Deschamps says that Germany are the strongest side they have faced yet at these finals.
We will have a new page of our history to write and we will try to make sure it is a beautiful one
“We have no pressure on us, just excitement at being able to play a World Cup quarter-final. We will have a new page of our history to write and we will try to make sure it is a beautiful one.”
France began the competition by scoring eight goals in group wins over Honduras and Switzerland, while Germany started with a thumping 4-0 victory against Portugal.
