FRANCE Best finals record: Winners 1984 Qualification record: Won Group Four

Zinedine Zidane

Coach: Roger Lemerre

Squad: Fabien Barthez, Ulrich Rame, Johan Micoud, Bernard Lama, Bixente Lizarazu, Lilian Thuram, Laurent Blanc, Youri Djorkaeff, Didier Deschamps, Marcel Desailly, Nicolas Anelka, Sylvain Wiltord, Frank Leboeuf, Robert Pires, David Trezeguet, Zinedine Zidane, Christian Karembeu, Emmanuel Petit, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Vincent Candela, Christophe Dugarry.

After getting drunk on the euphoria of winning the World Cup on home soil, France was always going to suffer something of a football hangover during the Euro 2000 qualifiers.

And so it proved as the nation which destroyed Brazil in such convincing fashion on that balmy summer night in Paris, stuttered and spluttered it's way through a decidedly unimpressive campaign.

Humiliated in a 3-2 home defeat to Russia and with new coach Roger Lemerre publicly lambasting his players after a lacklustre performance against the minnows of Armenia, the world champions entered their last qualifying game facing the very real possibility of not making the finals.

But with other results going their way, a nervy 3-2 victory over Iceland in the Stade de France was enough to see Les Bleus top group four and go through to the finals in Holland and Belgium.

Now they have booked their place at European football's biggest jamboree, it would take a brave man to back against France securing at least a semi-final berth.

With world-class performers in virtually every position, France circa 2000 will possess the same quality and strength in depth as the team that became such worthy World Cup winners.

Strong in defence and truly awesome in midfield - where they are led by one of the world's great talents in Zinedine Zidane - the French will be devilishly difficult to beat.

And though they have been drawn along with Holland, Denmark and the Czech Republic in the so called 'group of death' coach Lemerre will be confident his team can secure a top two spot and a place in the quarter-finals.

If the French do have a weakness it is the continued absence of an out and out goalscorer - a weakness which almost cost them the World Cup.

They lack a real poacher in front of goal and the country's great hope - Real Madrid's Nicolas Anelka - has not progressed sufficiently to be guaranteed a starting place for the first crucial game against the Dutch.

However coach Lemerre is unlikely to endure too many sleepless nights in the run up to the finals in June.

The French have proved once before they can win without a recognised goalscorer - and with the likes of Desailly, Deschamps and Zidane in the ranks don't be surprised if it's the Marseillaise ringing out over Rotterdam on July 2.