France will play Germany in a friendly in March 2024, the French Football Federation (FFF) said on Monday. It will be the nation’s first warm-up game before the Euro 2024 finals, which Germany will host. Die Mannschaft beat Les Bleus in a friendly in September, and the match in Lyon will be their chance to exact revenge.
The French side, coached by Didier Deschamps, are currently top of their Group F table, having won three out of four matches this month. But they will have a difficult challenge when they meet their old rivals at the Groupama Stadium in Decines-Charpieu.
It will be the first time since 1924 that the two sides have met in a significant international competition outside the World Cup. The previous occasion was a 3-1 victory for France over Germany in a European Championship qualifier in November of that year, which gave the hosts their first win over the Germans at a major tournament.
The fixture is also likely to be the first time that France will face Bayern Munich goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen in a competitive game, and the Bayern star will have high expectations for his team. This season, he has been excellent at the club level and should provide a stern test for the French defense.
Japan beat Deschamps’ France team on Tuesday night in their opening game of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, but he is expected to remain in charge of the match against Germany and then for the rest of the six-game group stage. A strong performance at Euro 2024 could propel him to another elite coaching job, but a poor showing would be damaging.
Germany finished third in the last European Championships they hosted, and it will be up to Julian Nagelsmann, who has only a short-term contract until 2022 at Bayern Munich, to lead his nation into a deep run. He hopes to extract every last drop of energy from a talented group of youngsters and experienced players, including Thomas Muller and Leroy Sane.
Lahm, also a Bayern Munich board member, suggested that Louis van Gaal may be brought in to coach the national team for this game and perhaps longer. The Dutchman, who saved Oranje for the World Cup in Qatar this year, has shown he has the credentials to help prepare Germany for a tough Euro on home soil. Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp and Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel are the other leading candidates.
