PARIS (AFP) - A youthful France side, without veteran midfielder Robert Pires and keeper Fabien Barthez, will meet Poland in an international friendly at the Stade de France.
The 1998 World Cup and 2000 European championship winning generation are continuing to fade from the scene, after the instalment of coach Raymond Domenech in July, pushing the average age in the squad downwards.
The retirements of Marcel Desailly, Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram, Bixente Lizarazu and Claude Makelele, as well as the non-selection of Pires - who has fallen out with Domenech after being critical of his management style - and the absence of right knee victim Barthez, have meant the 19-man squad has no player in his 30's.
"Today's senior players are younger than yesterday's senior players," said 27-year-old Bayern Munich player Willy Sagnol.
"It's the end of a cycle. It was perhaps a bit too early for Zidane and Thuram, but they stopped because they knew they would no longer get anything that they had not already got."
The oldest members of the squad are now Ludovic Giuly and captain Patrick Vieira, who are both 28.
Domenech said he had been forced to bring in new blood because of the absences and injuries but added: "I don't think about a player's age."
Five players in the squad have yet to win a cap: Sebastien Frey, Florent Malouda, Pierre-Alain Frau and Sylvain Armand, all 24, as well as 25-year-old Camel Meriem. Armand and Frau have been called up into the squad before but have never seen action on the pitch.
The new arrivals are aware this is an opportunity to be seized.
"This is a big moment for us," said Bordeaux playmaker Meriem.
"Of course getting a first cap would be a milestone in my career but I don't want to make being in the French team an obsession. The main thing is to keep playing well for my club, Bordeaux."
Domenech, who did not want to focus on possible debuts, added pragmatically: "The most important thing is what they do on the pitch."
And on France's World Cup qualifying progress, Sagnol was optimistic saying eight points from four matches and second place behind the Republic of Ireland in Group Four was not bad.
"With all the changes in the team, at the end of the day, eight points is not something worth complaining about," he said.
Sagnol, who has 26 caps, said it should be remembered France lost in the first round of the 2002 World Cup finals and were beaten by Greece at Euro 2004 with stars such as Zidane, Lizarazu, Thuram and Desailly and a new generation inevitably had to come through.
The Poles should prove worthwhile opponents - they are second in their World Cup qualifying group behind England - and have a squad packed with experience with France's frontline sure to have a tough time getting the ball past Liverpool's Jerzy Dudek in goal.
11/17/2004 - 12:16 GMT - AFP