Steven Gerrard: France are strong

England captain Steven Gerrard has said that France looked strong as they beat Serbia 2-0 on Thursday night.

The 32-year-old will lead the Three Lions out against Les Bleus in their opening game of Euro 2012 on June 11.

Gerrard believes that Laurent Blanc's men are dangerous but said that they are not unbeatable.

The Liverpool midfielder said that England will be on course to achieve their first objective of qualifying from the group stage should they avoid defeat in Donetsk.

"I watched France last night against Serbia and they looked very strong," said Gerrard. "They are a good team. We know a lot about them because we've played against them before.

"They've got some players that play in the Premier League. We have a lot of respect for them but they are not unbeatable. We know if we play to our maximum, our top form, there's a chance we can beat them. There is a big rivalry. There have been some mega clashes in the game.

"It's very important not to lose the game. A win would be fantastic but, if we can avoid defeat, it sets us up nicely for the next two. The challenge is to get out of the group, hopefully in first spot, but getting out is the first challenge."

Gerrard has won 91 caps for England.