France seek flying start

Kazan: France head into their World Cup opener against Australia in Kazan on Saturday sweating on the fitness of fullback Djibril Sidibe and under pressure to deliver an emphatic win to erase doubts about the cohesion of a team of brilliant individuals.

Monaco right back Sidibe has been battling to recover from a knee injury, putting a query over one of the few positions in which France lacks ample depth.

Six-cap defender Benjamin Pavard, who has played mostly as a centre back for Bundesliga side Stuttgart, is likely to fill the role on his World Cup debut against a Socceroos side that is something of an unknown quantity under new coach Bert van Marwijk.

There is further uncertainty over the make-up of France’s forward line for the Group C encounter at Kazan Arena, with coach Didier Deschamps facing tough choices on his front three.

He fielded experienced Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud with the substitutes team in training on Wednesday, suggesting explosive 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele could form a powerful trio with Antoine Griezmann.

Having captained Les Bleus to the 1998 World Cup triumph on home soil, Deschamps knows a thing or two about global success and is blessed with one of the strongest squads among the 32 in Russia. Their sheer depth of talent has made them among the tournament favourites, yet scepticism lingers over the manager’s ability to get the best out of his stars.

Denmark out to spoil Peru’s return
Paolo Guerrero will look to prove his drug-ban controversy is behind him on Saturday when Peru face Denmark and their star goal-scoring midfielder Christian Eriksen in both teams’ World Cup opener.

The presence of Flamengo forward Guerrero is a huge relief to Peru boss Ricardo Gareca after his 14-month ban for taking cocaine was overturned just weeks before the Wor-ld Cup kicked-off.

Croatia face Nigeria
Former World Cup semi-finalists Croatia take on African powerhouses Nigeria in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on Saturday in their opening Group D match that may prove a test of the organisers’ anti-racism drive.

It is 20 years since Croatia surged to the final four at France ‘98 with a resounding quarter-final win over favourites Germany, and fans will be buoyed by a squad brimming with attacking talent.