Euro 2024 Group B qualifier: France v Republic of Ireland, Parc des Princes, Thursday, 7.45pm Irish time – Live RTÉ2
Growing evidence that the Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny has been cursed with rotten luck, especially after losing Evan Ferguson to patellar tendon pain, gained traction when it was revealed that temperatures in the western suburb of Paris are set to linger around 30 degrees despite an 8.45pm local kick-off on Thursday night.
That’s only the half of it.
Having suffered ankle and knee damage last weekend, John Egan will struggle to captain his country in place of the injured Séamus Coleman so, in reality, Kenny is banking on the two-time World Cup finalists being lulled to distraction by the ginormous sporting event that is happening across town.
For the next two months France is rugby country. This was evident on a blisteringly hot day in the capital as Didier Deschamps was forced to play second fiddle to Fabien Galthié as the incoming global tournament throws shade on a routine football qualifier for Euro 2024.
“When is it?” wondered Deschamps dead pan, knowing full well that his team was shifted out of Stade de France to make way for the New Zealand All Blacks’ opening night against the hosts on Friday.
“I think I’ve other things to focus on,” said the long-serving French boss. “I didn’t exchange too much with Fabien about their prep for this match. I believe they will meet expectations of a championship in France. If I have a small moment I will watch and enjoy their games.”
Coverage is relentless, both locally and nationwide, as rugby appears to have taken hold of the national psyche. There is no avoiding it. Even Kenny’s view on Andy Farrell’s Grand Slammers was chewed up.
“Ireland have done brilliantly and deserve their number one status in the world and they come with a strong chance of winning the trophy,” said the Dubliner. “They have said that themselves. They are confident of that. France are also very good so they are two of the main teams in contention.”
Anyway, welcome to Parc des Princes, where Irish sporting dreams have been battered, bamboozled, and hard done by since 1914. Until 1996, this concrete cathedral would send a shiver down the spine of the most hard-nosed visiting athlete.
Situated in the 16th arrondissement, which has long been the central hub for Parisian sport, as one after the other stands three monuments to tennis, rugby and football.
Roland Garros, along with its statue of 14 time French Open winner Rafael Nadal, comes before Stade Jean Bouin, the ground where FC Versailles and Stade Francais play home games in the shadow of Parc des Princes, the 50,000 capacity venue that houses the Qatari-funded galalcticos project of Paris Saint-Germain.
The Irish football team has fared better than their rugby counterparts at the venue, even escaping with a 1-1 draw in 1973. The rugby men played 12, lost 12 with scars from gallic studs visible decades later.
Truth be told, the French are more excited about a friendly against Germany in Dortmund next Tuesday than this Irish test. Kylian Mbappé even slipped out of his media duties as captain. Nothing to do with his image rights debate with PSG, mind, but to avoid hogging the limelight. Antoine Griezmann was openly sore at being passed over for the captaincy after Hugo Lloris’s retirement last year.
It also meant that the preliminaries could not be hijacked by inevitable questions surrounding the 24-year-old megastar’s future at PSG.
Tonight’s game is not even a sell-out, with 1,000 tickets still available, starting at an enticing €59.
Nor is it a priority for Kenny’s Ireland as, regardless of this result, qualification to next year’s Euros will hinge on beating Ronald Koeman’s stuttering Dutch revival at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday night.
Still, in football terms, Ireland is the proverbial dirt on French shoes. A perfect scenario for an ambush, or a dose of cold realism. The latter is more likely, simply because France “escaped” Dublin with a win last March thanks to a “spectacular” save by Mike Maignan off Nathan Collins’s bullet header in the 90th minute.
“I think it was a very complicated game in Dublin so we had to suffer a lot at the back,” said Griezmann. “It was a nervous escape for us to win this game. If we have the control of the ball more in this game we will not suffer in the same way.”
Complicated, how?
“Playing against Ireland is always complicated,” Deschamps replied. “We have seen the quality of this team, especially on the defensive end, they had a few chances. Mike’s spectacular save changed the result.”
To be fair to the French, neither coach nor vice-captain invoked the usual tropes of “British style” and “passionate Irish” but there is a sense that the mood will be dictated by unfinished business against understrength visitors.
Watch with caution.
FRANCE (possible): Maignan (AC Milan); Pavard (Inter Milan), L Hernandez (Paris Saint-Germain), Upamecano (Bayern Munich), T Hernandez (AC Milan); Camavinga (Real Madrid), Tchouameni (Real Madrid); Dembele (Barcelona), Griezmann (Atlético Madrid), Mbappé (Paris Saint Germain); Giroud (AC Milan).
IRELAND (possible): Bazunu (Southampton); O’Shea (West Bromwich Albion), Collins (Brentford), Duffy (Norwich City), Egan (Sheffield United), McClean (Wrexham); Cullen (Burnley), Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Knight (Bristol City), Ogbene (Luton Town); Idah (Norwich City).
Referee: Urs Schnyder (Switzerland).
