France will be looking to get back into form when they take on Albania in their friendly clash at the Elbasan Arena on Saturday.

Didier Deschamps's men lost 4-3 to Belgium in their last outing and will be determined to earn a positive result before they sign off for the summer.

Albania

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Albania have proven to be a strong outfit under manager Gianni De Biasi and have performed well in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign to date.

De Biasi's side have taken seven points from their opening four games of qualifying and took the scalp of Portugal in their first match of the campaign in Lisbon.

Albania have a fair chance at earning qualification for the tournament in France as they are currently level on points with second-placed Denmark in Group I, and only two points behind leaders Portugal.

Captain Lorik Cana has been crucial throughout the qualifying campaign with his experience right in the spine of the team, while Andi Lila and Odise Roshi have also been important players for De Biasi's men.

Goals have been at a premium in qualifying as Bekim Balaj, Mergim Mavraj, Shkelzen Gashi and Ermir Lenjani share the honour of being the team's leading goalscorers with one strike each.

With crucial matches against the Danes and the Portuguese on the horizon, De Biasi will be looking to get his side into gear against a quality outfit as they have not played since March.

Recent form: WDLDLW

France

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Deschamps was adamant that there was no need to panic after his side were defeated 4-3 by Belgium during the week, despite the fact that they trailed 4-1 for a large portion of the second half.

France were also heavily beaten by Brazil in the Stade de France in March, which has led to concerns about their form ahead of the tournament next year, despite a 2-0 victory over Denmark.

Deschamps will have slight worries that his side have struggled immensely against dominant attacking units in their last two defeats, especially as first-choice defenders Raphael Varane and Laurent Koscielny featured prominently in the matches.

Les Bleus will be determined to show signs of improvement before they sign off for the summer ahead of their fixtures in September when the countdown for the tournament begins.

At the other end of the pitch, Deschamps appears to have an embarrassment of riches in attack with Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Alexandre Lacazette, but he has found it difficult to feature all three players in the same lineup.

The clash against Albania and their friendly matches later in the year should give Deschamps ample time to work out his best attacking lineup for the tournament.

Meanwhile, Paul Pogba's return following the Champions League final should see Les Bleus add power and pace to the midfield, which they seemed to lack against Belgium especially against Maroaune Felliani.

Recent form: WDWLWL

Team News

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Albania are without defender Mavraj and midfielder Alban Meha for the clash in Elbasan as both players miss the game due to injuries.

Lila could replace Mavraj at centre-back alongside Cana, while Sokol Cikalleshi is expected to lead the line in attack, although Balaj could push him for the start.

As mentioned earlier, Deschamps will be boosted by the return of Pogba following Juventus's defeat in the final of the Champions League, while Patrice Evra will also come back into the fold.

Giroud is struggling with an injury he sustained in training, which could open the central striker's role for Griezmann or Lacazette in Elbasan.

Mamadou Sakho could come into contention at the back, while Nabil Fekir could replace Mathieu Valbuena in midfield.

Albania possible starting lineup:
Berisha, Hysaj, Cana, Lila, Arapi, Roshi, Rama, Memushaj, Lenjani, Kace, Cikalleshi

France possible starting lineup:
Lloris, Sagna, Varane, Sakho, Evra, Matuidi, Pogba, Sissoko, Fekir, Lacazette, Griezmann

Head To Head

The last time the two sides met they played out a 1-1 draw at the Stade de la Route de Lorient as Griezmann cancelled out Mavraj's first-half strike.

France had won the previous four matches between the sides, including 3-0 and 2-1 victories in their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.

We say: Albania 0-2 France

France's defensive form has not been great recently against the top teams in the world, but they should have more than enough firepower themselves to overcome Albania to ensure they end their season on a high note.

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