UEFA Nations League champions France will begin the defence of their title against Denmark at Stade de France on Friday night.

Didier Deschamps's side beat Spain in last year's final to lift the trophy, but Denmark went out in the group stage, finishing second in League A Group 2 behind Belgium.

Match preview

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France topped League A Group 3 of the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League ahead of Portugal, picking up 16 points from their six matches, before beating Belgium 3-2 in the semi-finals and Spain 2-1 in the final.

The Blues are also the reigning world champions, lifting the trophy in 2018 by beating Croatia 4-2 in the final, and they will be expected to be make a big impression at the 2022 World Cup.

Deschamps's side comfortably booked their spot in the finals of the tournament in Qatar, topping Group D with 18 points, and they have actually won each of their last seven matches in all competitions.

France ended their World Cup qualification campaign with a 2-0 victory over Finland last November before playing two friendlies in March, beating Ivory Coast 2-1 and South Africa 5-0.

Les Bleus will take on Denmark, Croatia twice and Austria in the UEFA Nations League over the next couple of weeks, and the fixtures will be valuable preparation for the upcoming World Cup.

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Denmark have also qualified for the 2022 World Cup and will actually take on France in the group stage of the competition, while Tunisia are also in the section, alongside either Australia or the UAE.

The Red and Whites were eliminated in the round of 16 of the 2018 World Cup, losing to Croatia on penalties, with their best performance at the competition coming in 1998, when they reached the quarter-finals.

Denmark ended their World Cup qualification campaign with a 2-0 loss to Scotland last November, but they did enough to top Group F, picking up 27 points from their 10 matches during an impressive performance.

Kasper Hjulmand's side will take on France, Austria twice and Croatia in the UEFA Nations League over the next couple of weeks, and it is a very open section considering the strength of the teams.

Denmark actually finished above England in League A Group 2 of the 2020-21 competition but were five points behind section winners Belgium, who advanced to the semi-finals.

Team News

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France boss Deschamps is expected to select a three-man defence for Friday's fixture, with Raphael Varane, Presnel Kimpembe and Lucas Hernandez set to operate at the back.

There is no Paul Pogba in the squad, with the midfielder missing the latter stages of the 2021-22 campaign due to a calf problem, so Aurelien Tchouameni could play alongside N'Golo Kante in midfield.

Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe could play as the front three for the home side, while Boubacar Kamara is also in the squad, and the midfielder will be bidding to win his first cap for the Blues.

As for Denmark, Simon Kjaer's absence through injury could open the door for Jannik Vestergaard to feature alongside Andreas Christensen in the middle of the defence.

Christian Eriksen, Thomas Delaney and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could line up as the midfield three, with Robert Skov potentially featuring in the final third of the field.

Kasper Dolberg has 10 goals for his country and could lead the line with support from Yussuf Poulsen, while Bournemouth's Philip Billing will be hoping to add to the two caps that he has already gained.

France possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Varane, Kimpembe, L Hernandez; Pavard, Kante, Tchouameni, T Hernandez; Griezmann; Benzema, Mbappe

Denmark possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Wass, Christensen, Vestergaard, Maehle; Hojbjerg, Delaney, Eriksen; Skov, Dolberg, Poulsen

We say: France 2-1 Denmark

Denmark cannot be underestimated due to their obvious quality and true fighting spirit. France are one of the most talented teams in world football, though, and we are expecting the Blues to make it eight straight wins in all competitions with a narrow success on Friday night.

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