England v France - head-to-head March 25 2008
Fabio Capello enjoyed a victory in his opening England match against Switzerland last month, but this week's friendly in France represents something of an early litmus test for the Italian.
MANAGERS
While England increasingly find themselves forced to turn to foreign talent to coach the national team, France have a history of promoting from within. Current boss Raymond Domenech rose to prominence in charge of his country's under-21s side - following the likes of Aime Jacquet, Roger Lemerre and Gerard Houllier. Domenech has long had his detractors, but an unexpected adventure to the 2006 World Cup final confounded those critics.
The Football Association broke down a major barrier when naming Sven-Goran Eriksson as the first foreign English coach. But when that went sour, they opted for Englishman Steve McClaren. His inglorious tenure prompted them to go abroad again, this time for Italian disciplinarian Fabio Capello. With a single game under his belt, only time will tell whether those at Soho Square made the right choice.
FORM
After their relatively successful World Cup in Germany - when they lost to Italy on penalties in the final - France laboured through their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, finishing second behind Italy and ahead of Scotland despite losing to the Britons during the campaign.
England also under-achieved in qualifying but were unable to pull out the stops when required. Dropped points looked costly heading into the final few matches - and despite favourable results elsewhere, defeat by Croatia left McClaren's men with a gaping hole in their summer schedule.
TEAM NEWS
France have been hit by withdrawals, particularly up front, with the hugely talented young striker Karim Benzema joined by Thierry Henry on the unavailable list. Another exciting youngster, Mathieu Valbuena, is also out. Patrick Vieira is injured with a thigh strain - while goalkeeper Sebastien Frey and Arsenal full-back Bacary Sagna are also out.
England cannot call on goalkeepers Scott Carson and Chris Kirkland, while central defender Matthew Upson also pulled out over the weekend because of injury.
EMERGING TALENT
France have a new crop of young players gradually making their mark and replacing the golden generation from the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. Uncapped Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda has a slight chance of making his debut; Lyon defender-cum-midfielder Mathieu Bodmer is a huge talent; Marseille playmaker Samir Nasri is touted as 'the new Ribery' - and Lyon's Hatem Ben Arfa is a tricky, skilful attacker.
Fabio Capello's first squad, for a friendly against Switzerland, was enticingly experimental. But that excitement was dulled this time around as he dropped Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young and David Wheater despite naming them in his provisional squad. Consequently, David Bentley and Theo Walcott represent the only genuinely untried young talent.