Switzerland v France: France coach Raymond Domenech is confident that his side will seal their place in next summer's World Cup finals by beating Switzerland in Berne on Saturday, despite losing his two leading strikers Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet to injury.
Last month's 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland has left Les Bleus just one victory away from securing top spot in Group Four, but they travel to Switzerland with a depleted strike force after Trezeguet sustained a thigh injury on Sunday, thus joining Henry on the sidelines.
Domenech still has various options in attack, with Djibril Cisse, Sylvain Wiltord, Ludovic Giuly, Peguy Luyindula and Sidney Govou to choose from, and he was in buoyant mood at France's training centre in Clairefontaine this week.
"Winning breeds confidence and improves the spirit within a team," he said. "There's no doubt that the recent results, in particular the result in Dublin, has done us a lot of good."
On Trezeguet's withdrawal, he said: "Last week I was really optimistic, now I'm only cautiously optimistic. We've lost our two best goalscorers and, of course, scoring will be more difficult. But there are others who can do the job. I'm lucky to have several versatile players and that's why I didn't call up another striker."
Rumours that Nicolas Anelka had turned down the chance to join the squad as a late replacement for Trezeguet were given short shrift by Domenech, who went on to hint that Cisse would be the man responsible for leading the French attack.
The 24-year-old, who scored twice in his last international start against the Faroe Islands, has spent much of the season on the Liverpool bench, but Domenech believes he will respond to the challenge. "Cisse is not playing regularly for his club, but he's fit and he's desperate to show people what he is capable of," said the coach. "He plays well when he plays for France and that's what interests me most."
The French camp has been boosted by the return to fitness of Zinedine Zidane, who played the last half an hour of Real Madrid's game last weekend, his first appearance since hobbling off at Lansdowne Road with a groin injury. France's performances have improved since Zidane returned from international retirement, with seven goals scored and none conceded in three matches.
Domenech is attempting to become the first manager to guide France through a successful World Cup qualifying campaign for two decades. The most spectacular failure in their recent history came in 1993 when, under Gerard Houllier, France lost their last two matches at home to Israel and Bulgaria.
"I can remember October and November '93 very clearly," Domenech said. "France only needed a point to book their place in the US finals and we all know what happened."
The former Lyon coach is desperate to avoid a similar scenario, but knows that his team remain precariously placed. Switzerland currently top the group ahead of France due to their superior goal difference, and any result other than an away victory would see the race for automatic qualification decided next Wednesday.
France host Cyprus in their last match, while Switzerland have a tougher task against Brian Kerr's team. "I've worked out all the possible scenarios," Domenech said. "If we lose in Switzerland, then we would need a miracle to go through. I'd love to seal the qualification in Berne but it will only happen if we show the same kind of determination we showed in Dublin. We must be prepared for another battle," he added.
