World Cup Preview: France v Senegal

So here it is. The talking can stop and the action can start with an opening game that has several intriguing elements.

France start their title defence against a team they have never played before. But a team which comes from a former French colony, is making its World Cup debut with a French coach who has trawled through the French first division to find 22 of his 23 squad members.

The French squad itself only contains three players from their domestic championship.

The holders will be missing their best player with Zinedine Zidane injured but can rely on the midfield industry of Patrick Vieira - a native Senegalian who was born in its capital city Dakar.

It would be hard to find a more extreme recipe for a World Cup opener as the young talent in the French domestic league comes up against the veterans who graduated ten years ago from the domestic clubs to become world stars in Spain, Italy and England and direct a brilliant French national team to the 1998 World Cup and the European title in 2000.

But that side is about to face a very stern test in Zidane's absence and the fear that conditions in Asia may be dead against them retaining their title may see its first evidence today in Seoul.

Without Zidane the French may struggle to find the invention necessary to break down the Senegal team whose hard-running style based on speed and quick flicks may see some results against an ageing back line.

Defending champions have only won twice on the opening day of a World Cup since 1974 with draws frequently the outcome as sides look to avoid what would be a damaging first game defeat with just two matches left to recover in the group stage.

Added to this record is the fact that today's game is virtually a derby match for Senegal which may give it an extra edge that lifts it out of first game nerves for both sides.

The French should be very confident going into the match and the tournament.

They have basically the same squad which proved great at competitive play and have added two strikers in David Trezeguet and Thierry Henry who are both in brilliant form and give Roger Lemerre's side some of the best attacking options on view at these finals.

To back up these two are Arsenal raider Sylvain Wiltord and the rising star of the French game Djibril Cisse who top scored in the French first division last season for Auxerre with 22 goals.

Zidane's matchless prompting behind such a strike force makes France among the favourites for the title but there are problems.

Marcel Desailly's defending has seen better days and he is no longer consistent and the back four have all grown old together which may tell against them in the testing humidity and heat they will face in Korea and Japan.

The absence of Zidane also sees the midfield rearranged with Youri Djorkaeff likely to start behind two attackers in a free role.

But on a positive note for France it is perhaps Zidane suffers with injury now, rests and gets fit again rather than in three weeks when the serious fixtures some along in the knockout stages.

France should be able to overcome the African side who have had problems in preparing for the finals.

Liverpool-bound striker El Hadji Diouf has slammed training conditions and left back Khalilou Fadiga stole a necklace from a shop last Sunday and faces criminal charges.

Fadiga has been cleared to play and will start on the left for coach Bruno Metsu who has midfielder Pape Sarr suspended for the first game.

The oddities surrounding this game make it less than predictable and Senegal know they have to take advantage of a France without Zidane and try to draw. If their strikers, and especially Diouf, can find the speed and invention that is the basis for their best work then they may be able to hold off Trezeguet and keep the game from becoming a scrappy stalemate with few risks taken.