When and on which channel to watch the match?
A beautiful poster.
The French team faces Germany this Friday evening, at Groupama Stadium in Lyon, as part of the semi-finals of the 2023-2024 Women's Nations League.
The meeting will begin at 9:00 p.m.
It will be broadcast unencrypted since it will be broadcast on
France 3
.
You can also follow it live with commentary on lefigaro.fr with our journalist Jérémy Vasseur.
To discover
The complete Blues schedule
Why is this meeting important for the French team?
Les Bleues have the opportunity, if successful, to reach the first continental final in their history.
This is also their “
objective
” and “
the only one
”, indicated Hervé Renard last week, when revealing his list of players selected for this clash.
Even if, of course, the Paris Olympic Games this summer remain in the back of their minds.
“
The Nations League, it is important for us to win it, it will be the march, the little extra which will ensure that we have very good Games
”, explained Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, believing that a victory “
could send a very big detonation, a message to say that France is ready to win major competitions
.”
If they qualify, the goalkeeper and her partners will face either Spain or the Netherlands who face each other in the other semi-final.
The final will be held on Wednesday February 28, either in Seville (Spain) or in Heerenveen (Netherlands).
SEE ALSO -
Eugénie Le Sommer's double for Hervé Renard's debut on the Blue bench against Colombia last year (5-2)
How did the players experience Hervé Renard's desire to take over the Ivory Coast?
During the African Cup of Nations, Hervé Renard caused controversy.
The current coach of the Bleues was (very) tempted by a freelance at the head of the Ivory Coast, after the departure in full competition of Jean-Louis Gasset.
Without (great) surprise, the players of the French team have been (a lot) questioned on this subject in recent days.
And overall, the approach of the 55-year-old technician was not perceived “
as a lack of respect”
, to use the words of Parisian Elisa De Almeida in an interview with
franceinfo
.
“
Given that the CAN was not at the same time, frankly, he does what he wants.
He could have gone to win and come back motivated, with the desire to relive that feeling of victory with us.
He was not disrespectful towards women's football, quite the contrary
,” explained Lyonnaise Delphine Cascarino to
AFP
.
The only (small) shadow on the board is Selma Bacha.
“
I
won't hide from you that when I saw what came out, it hurt me a little and I had doubts
,” admitted the Les Gones full-back.
Before tempering: “
Now, that’s aside, we’re going to focus on this semi-final.
We are ready to kill ourselves for him and for the staff.
Also read: Hervé Renard “loaned” to Ivory Coast: why the FFF said no
Why is Wendie Renard absent?
For this clash against their “
best enemies
”, the Blues will be deprived of their captain, and one of the best players in the world, namely Wendie Renard.
The Lyonnaise is still unavailable since her thigh injury at the end of last year.
A hard blow for the French team.
Even more so for such an important match.
Fortunately, Hervé Renard can count on valuable reinforcement in the offensive sector with the return of Delphine Cascarino.
The Les Gones striker returned to competition a little less than a month ago and (quickly) convinced the Bleues coach: “
When we saw the last 25 minutes of OL-PSG, I think he there is no discussion possible
.
Of course, we will have to, in complete agreement with the OL staff, not skip the steps.
She will be able to bring us everything she has extra, even in a slightly shorter period of time
,” he explained when announcing his list.
Also read: “The captain of the French team” was not against Hervé Renard freelancing in Ivory Coast, according to Aulas
Will the match be played with a large crowd?
The match between France and Germany, attractive on paper, will be played in front of just over 25,000 people.
That is less than half of the capacity of Groupama Stadium (60,000 seats), and a little less than the number of seats open for sale (30,000).
A real disappointment for Amandine Henry, who hoped to be able to play this important match in front of a larger audience.
“
There is still work to be done.
It is hopeless
.
What more needs to be done?
We, the players, give our all.
It’s a beautiful poster, it’s a beautiful stadium, a beautiful city
…” lamented the midfielder in an interview with Le Parisien.
Before adding: “
We don’t know what to do.
We talk about it, we ask ourselves the question: what can we do to fill stadiums?
When we see other countries, it works.
Why doesn't it work for us?
We don’t really understand.”