Bixente Lizarazu: 'France can manage without Franck Ribery'

Former France international Bixente Lizarazu has expressed his belief that the current side can cope with the absence of midfielder Franck Ribery at the World Cup in Brazil.

The Bayern Munich attacker has been forced to sit out the tournament after failing to shake off a back problem and, while Lizarazu admits that the 31-year-old will be missed by Les Bleus, the 1998 World Cup winner believes that Didier Deschamps's team can still achieve great things without him.

He told the Bundesliga official website: "Of course it was [a major setback to lose Ribery] because we're still talking about one of the best players in Europe, even if Franck was struggling for form since the start of the year. In spite of that though, France can be successful at the World Cup.

"The aim is to reach the quarter finals. That's definitely doable. In their pre-World Cup preparations the French team were playing with confidence and they went alright without Ribery. I think they'll manage fine."

Ribery made his France debut in 2006.