France will not let up despite having already secured their passage to next year’s World Cup in Qatar and will look to finish qualifying on a strong note against Finland on Tuesday in Helsinki, said head coach Didier Deschamps.
The holders booked a place at the finals with a game to spare after four goals from Kylian Mbappe led them to an 8-0 demolition of Kazakhstan at the weekend.
“It is not a friendly match and it is the last game for the France team this year. On my side and on yours (media) too, there will be an analysis depending on the result. We will play to get the best result,” Deschamps told reporters on Monday.
France are top of Group D with 15 points from seven games, four points ahead of Finland in second place. A win for Finland on Tuesday will guarantee a playoff spot while a draw would mean they have to rely on other results in the group.
Deschamps added that everybody was fit and available but he was likely to make a few chances with captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris the only player certain to start.
“I always assume that we must respect the game and our opponents… we have the peace of mind of coming here knowing that we are not playing for qualification. But that’s not what will cause me to make more or less changes. There will be a few,” he said.
France are unbeaten in qualifying – with four wins and three draws – and the manager said keeping that record intact would act as extra motivation against Finland, who beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 away on Saturday.
“Players all have an interest in performing as well as possible, now and in relation to what lies ahead as well. They are competitors. We had a great moment of happiness on Saturday. We have to do it again to get the result we want,” Deschamps added.
(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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