Two nations looking to return to form will do battle today in an international friendly between France and Norway. The match scheduled for 3 p.m. ET will be held at the Stade de France in Paris and can be lived streamed free through Univision Deportes mobile app (click here to access the application). Additional TV coverage can be found on Univision Deportes.
For France, today's friendly in Paris is nothing more than preparation for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. All 32 teams that qualified are vying for the tournament crown, but for French head coach Didier Deschamps, actually winning the World Cup is an impractical reality. It'll take more than footballing talent to do the impossible.
"I'm going to Brazil with lots of ambition, but I'm a realist, too," the 45-year-old said to the Daily Mail.
"There are countries that are much better than us on paper. We can't hide from the truth. The only match that France won in the group stage of a World Cup in the last 12 years was against Togo in 2006," he added.
"I can't talk about winning the World Cup. There are teams who are far ahead of us, including a team [Spain] who won the last World Cup and the last two European Championships. There are six or seven."
"To win it for us would be viewed as a miracle."
Will France lay the foundation for a miracle with a proper performance against Norway this afternoon? Tell us @SportWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Patrice Evra is projected to be the captain for the French national team on Wednesday. The 33-year-old made 33 league appearances for Manchester United this past season, scoring one goal and providing three assists.
France's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Ruffier; Evra, Sakho, Koscielny, Debuchy; Matuidi, Cabaye, Pogba; Griezmann, Giroud, Valbuena
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