France continue their preparations for their upcoming World Cup campaign with a friendly against the struggling Carthage Eagles.

Kick-Off: Sunday, May 30, 2010. 22:00 CET. November 7th Stadium, Rades

Desperate Search For A Revival

Things have been far from pleasant for Tunisia fans in the past year. After failing on the final day of World Cup qualifying in Maputo against the Black Mambas of Mozambique to send Nigeria to South Africa in their place, the Carthage Eagles followed that miserable display with a tame African Cup of Nations where they drew three times and finished bottom of a group that included Cameroon, Zambia, and Gabon. Such disappointing results are not at all what supporters of the north African nation have grown accustomed to in the recent past.

Not only has their level of play dropped but their slump has also been matched off the pitch by what has been widely labelled as the most incompetent FTF in the history of Tunisian football. A new Federal Bureau was recently elected but sceptics are quick to point out that the new Ali Hafsi regime includes much of the same faces who have been directly responsible for the worsening results of the Tunisian national team.

Perhaps the most telling indicator of the dire situation the 2004 African Champions find themselves in is that they currently don’t even have a full time coach after the sacking of Humberto Coelho and the return of Faouzi Benzarti to his club side Esperance after returning from Angola where he was working without even a semblance of an official contract. Sami Trabelsi, Benzarti’s assistant during the 2010 AFCON, is acting as caretaker coach for the time being as FTF president Ali Hafsi searches for a permanent replacement.

Ironically his search may soon be coming to an end, with none other than the visiting Raymond Domenech, who is rumoured to be taking advantage of his stay in Tunisia to line up a four-year deal and relocate to Tunis after the World Cup, a situation that mirrors the recruitment of Roger Lemerre in 2002 when he was dropped by the FFF.

Despite the prevailing chaos and sense of hopelessness that is felt by fans of the Carthage Eagles, the Tunisian players will want to use this opportunity to prove to their supporters (and to themselves) that they are ready to begin a new successful cycle which will officially begin as early as July 1 when they take on Botswana in their first qualifier for the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

Some Fluidity At Last

It is hardly a secret that Raymond Domenech is a divisive figure in France due to his stubbornness and lack of audacity as a manager but Thursday’s win against Costa Rica offered a glimpse of how well his side can play if given the freedom to express themselves fully. France’s visibly more fluid style is credited to a switch from Domenech’s typical 4-2-3-1 formation to a more expansive 4-3-3 that showed promise and reaped results in the 2-1 win over the CONCACAF representatives.

The fact that it’s taken the former Lyon player six years to realise that it might be time to change his approach as well as having the audacity to test a new one weeks before the biggest tournament on the planet is indicative of why he has been so heavily criticised. Now France will be looking to build on the previous match and start to perfect their new system which still hasn’t completely satisfied their manager from a defensive standpoint.

"It shows what we're capable of doing, we've been telling the players to just go for it. We need to keep showing the same desire, the same panache. Our attacking play was more encouraging, but the system poses problems defensively that we will have to address. We will need to be a bit stronger and solid, we shouldn't get carried away,” he said after the friendly test.

Luckily for Domenech, his side have the opportunity to iron out some of their defensive frailties as early as Sunday against the Carthage Eagles. The quick turnaround should offer some insight into the areas that pleased the coach and others that need more work in his estimation. Furthermore, if his contacts with the FTF are indeed true, perhaps he’ll also take the opportunity to evaluate the opposing players as well and decide whether or not coaching Tunisia after the World Cup is a good idea.

FORM GUIDE

Tunisia

January 21: Cameroon 2-2 Tunisia (AFCON)

January 17: Gabon 0-0 Tunisia (AFCON)

January 13: Zambia 1-1 Tunisia (AFCON)

January 9: Tunisia 1-2 Gambia (Friendly)

November 14: Mozambique 1-0 Tunisia (WCQ)

France

May 27: France 2-1 Costa Rica (Friendly)

March 3: France 0-2 Spain (Friendly)

November 18: France 1-1 Ireland (WCQ Playoff)

November 14: Ireland 0-1 France (WCQ Playoff)

October 14: France 3-1 Austria (WCQ)

TEAM NEWS

Tunisia

The biggest news for the home fans is that their national team talisman, Yassine Chikhaoui, is back in the squad after a two year absence due to a nagging knee injury. He will certainly feature in the match but whether he will do so in a starting role is not yet known. Either way, he will get a huge ovation as he is widely considered to be one of the most gifted players the country has ever produced and his absence has been absolutely torturous for Tunisia. Meanwhile, Esperance’s Youssef Msekni suffered a knock while playing for the CHAN side against Morocco last week but team doctors have cleared him to play as well.

Probable Starting XI: Kasraoui; Ifa, Haggui, Jemal, Mikari; Ragued, Korbi, Ben Khalfallah, Dhaouadi; Jemaa, Allagui

France

Steve Mandanda got a surprising start against Costa Rica on Thursday but according to Domenech’s post match comments it was not an indication of any change in the hierarchy of the number one post as Hugo Lloris remains the favourite for the spot. Expect him to regain his place in the starting eleven against Tunisia unless it is decided that Cedric Carrasso should also get some minutes on the pitch prior to the World Cup. As far as striking options go, it is unclear if Domenech will opt for Nicolas Anelka again to lead the line or test another forward at the position instead. Meanwhile, it already known that William Gallas will play a full hour against the Carthage Eagles in an effort to help him regain some lost rhythm due to his calf injury that he’s been rehabbing in recent weeks.

Probable Starting XI: Lloris; Sagna, Gallas, Abidal, Evra; Toulalan, Gourcuff, Malouda; Govou, Ribery, Anelka

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tunisia

Besides the aforementioned Yassine Chikhaoui, it will be interesting to see whether or not Trabelsi gives Greuther Furth striker Sami Allagui the proper chance that most everyone thinks he deserves after a great season with his German Bundesliga 2 side. He has by far been the most in form Tunisian striker playing abroad and, as of yet, still hasn’t received the amount of playing time at national team level that his performances have warranted. Strangely overlooked for Angola 2010, this may be his opportunity to show the technical staff just what they’ve been missing out on.

France

After his brilliant goal in his first international game Mathieu Valbuena is the talk of the town and seems to have quickly justified his surprise inclusion in the World Cup squad. Now that all eyes are on him, will 'The Small Bike' be able to repeat his performance against the Carthage Eagles at Rades Stadium on Sunday? If he does, some people will surely be calling for him to start in South Africa instead of being a super-sub for les Bleus.

PREDICTION

Considering their current troubles, it’s very difficult to see Tunisia getting a result here, especially in light France’s new-found vigour. The home crowd will do their best to energise their team but expect them to tire and eventually succumb to a fitter French squad, much like they did in the reverse fixture in Paris last year that ended 3-1 after the Carthage Eagles took the lead through a brilliant solo goal from Issam Jemaa.

Tunisia 1-2 France