Hugo Lloris: 'France are a formidable opponent'

France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has said that Les Bleus would be a formidable opponent for anyone if they had to qualify for the World Cup via a playoff.

The French will almost certainly have to go through the eight-team knockout round for a place in Brazil as they need to beat Finland tomorrow and hope that Group I leaders Spain are defeated at home by Georgia.

If France do go into the playoffs, then they are likely to be one of the four unseeded teams and could face Sweden or Portugal.

"All the seeded teams have their own qualities, but I still think France is a formidable team and no-one wants to play us," the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper told reporters.

France are currently ranked 25th in the world.