Hugo Lloris knows France need to be at their brilliant best to beat Argentina

Posted Monday, July 02, 2018 by PA

Captain Hugo Lloris knows France will have to play beyond their limits to rise to the challenge of beating Lionel Messi’s Argentina and reach the World Cup quarter-finals.

Argentina scraped through to the knockout stage following a dramatic victory over Nigeria in their last group match, finishing as runners-up to Croatia.

Les Bleus, meanwhile, came top of Group C after two wins and a draw.

Spurs goalkeeper Lloris accepts France will now have to raise their performance in their last-16 clash in Kazan on Saturday.

“This is going to be a big match, and a difficult one, we are going to have to step up our level,” Lloris said at a press conference, broadcast by FIFATV on YouTube.

“We should go beyond our limits, have to be full of energy, bet on our collective solidity and use it all.

“There has been a lot of excitement (in the French camp), because Argentina are a major contender, with great players and many supporters in the stadium.

“We hope to answer the call to continue with our (World Cup) adventure.”

France manager Didier Deschamps, part of the national team which won the 1998 World Cup, gave little away on his plans to try to shackle the threat of Argentina’s talisman.

“Messi is Messi,” he said. “Hopefully we would like to mark and neutralise him, but we know very well he can make the difference with very little.

“This is why he is different to others, because he is so unpredictable.

“There are several solutions to limit his impact, but also the rest of the Argentina team are very experienced – it is not built on Messi.”

Deschamps expects Lucas Hernandez to be available, but confirmed Manchester City left-back Benjamin Mendy would miss out because of a “small muscle problem”.

Argentina head coach Jorge Sampaoli has “complete faith” in the ability of his side to get past France despite a troubled tournament so far.

“We have complete faith in our abilities,” Sampaoli said at a press conference.

“Argentina is very strong psychologically and this will allow us to face the match with complete commitment. You will see a team which will have a lot of motivation to win.”

Just as France know the threat of Messi, Sampaoli is fully aware of the dangers of an on-form France – led by Paris St Germain teenager Kylian Mbappe.

“What is most worrisome about France beyond their youth is the skill of some of their players,” he said.

“They have some outstanding players who can be decisive, especially in their front positions.”

Sampaoli has found himself under the spotlight following the opening 1-1 draw against Iceland and a 3-0 defeat by Croatia in Nizhny Novgorod.

“We are talking about training a good set of professionals. We need to know how to overcome the challenging moments which always emerge in these competitions,” he said.

“Regardless of what happens, we need to keep fighting. We have been demanding in our preparations and very committed with the entire squad to give their best performance.”