They haven’t been one of the world’s powers for long, but France are one of the big favorites in this Women’s World Cup, and will consider anything short of a semifinal appearance a massive failure. They have a golden generation of players in the primes of their career, and they’ll get a solid test in their first game of this World Cup, against England on Tuesday.
France vs. England, Women’s World Cup 2015: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online
France are one of the favorites to win this World Cup, and England provide a great litmus test for where they are right now.
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If you’re not too familiar with England’s women, they’re a lot like the men. Plenty of talent and a deep player pool, but no real world class players. They under-achieve regularly, and they’ll probably finish second in this group before going out of the tournament in the first knockout round or quarterfinals. At all levels, England are England.
The last time these two teams met was at Euro 2013, where Les Bleus won in a walkover. Eugenie Le Sommer scored in the 9th minute and France never looked back, comfortably coasting to a 3-0 victory. The core of both teams is exactly the same, so a repeat result wouldn’t be surprising.
Key player: Camile Abily
France's link between defense and attack in both transitional phases is Abily, a fantastic all-around central midfielder with 146 caps for her country. There's no part of the game she doesn't have some part in, and France always need her to be excellent.
Key matchup: Karen Carney vs. Sabrina Delannoy
If there's one place that this French team is just good, not outstanding, it's at the fullback spots. England winger Karen Carney is one of their most experienced players, and maybe their most creative now that Kelly Smith is gone. England might have some success attacking down the left, going at Delannoy with Carney.
Match date/time: Tuesday, 1 p.m. ET
Venue: Moncton Stadium, Moncton, Canada
TV: FOX (U.S.), BBC Two, Eurosport (U.K.), TSN1 (Canada), Eurosport France, W9 (France)
Online: FOX Soccer 2 Go, NBC Deportes en vivo (U.S.), BBC iPlayer and Eurosport Player (U.K.), TSN (Canada)
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