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2022/23 UEFA Nations League
League A - Group 1
Matchday 1
France v Denmark
Stade de France
Saint-Denis, France
Friday, 3 June 2022
Kick-off is at 20h45
France will kick off the defence of their
UEFA Nations League crown with a home clash against Denmark at the Stade de France on matchday 1 in the third edition of the competition on Friday, June 3.
Les Bleus lifted the trophy in 2020/21 after beating Spain 2-1 in the final to make up for the disappointment of losing to Switzerland on penalties in the round of 16 at Euro 2020.
Didier Deschamps' side have gone nine games unbeaten since then and a 5-0 hammering of South Africa during the previous international break was their seventh win in a row.
Deschamps does not expect fireworks against the Danes, but insists France will aim to make a good start in the hope of going all the way once more.
"Some players will not have played for three weeks, others for two. So we don't expect wonders with regard to fitness, but we must try to seek consistency throughout the team," he said.
"[Regarding the Nations League itself] I don't miss friendly matches, because it had become difficult to find available opponents. There is always more interest when there is a competition. The aim is to win the group and go through to the finals."
The Red and Whites were also drawn in the same group as the defending world champions in the 2022 World Cup, as well as the 2018 World Cup, where they played out to a goalless draw.
Their recent form hasn't been great as Kasper Hjulmand's team lost their final World Cup qualifier 2-0 against Scotland before being beaten 4-2 by the Netherlands in a friendly in March, although they saw off Serbia 3-0 three days later.
Image copyright: Getty Images
Hjulmand will use these next two encounters against the French to prepare for their showdown in Qatar at the end of the year.
"We have two matches against them in Nations League [and then we meet at the World Cup] so it will be three meetings in five months," he said.
"We are preparing for all the teams we are going to face. But I advise [France] to also prepare, because we have a very good team and we will be ready to fight."
Head-to-Head record:
Matches - 14
France - 8
Denmark - 2
Draws - 4
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