Bad news for Les Bleus

By Christophe Kukawka

France will face Andorra tomorrow in a Montpellier friendly without Ludovic Giuly - whose chances of being on the plane to UEFA EURO 2004™ in Portugal appear to be receding fast.

'It's serious'
The AS Monaco FC midfield player and captain limped out of his side's 3-0 defeat by FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League final last night after just 20 minutes. "When a player asks to be replaced you can be certain it's serious," France team doctor Dr Jean-Marcel Ferret said today.

'You can't say'
"We spoke to Monaco's team doctor and it seems Giuly tore a muscle in his abdomen," he continued. "He will undergo medical tests and we will know a bit more later in the day. This kind of injury can rule you out for up to two months. It's a very fragile part of the body and you can't say how long it will take to heal."

Friday test
Giuly, 27, will undergo an MRI scan on Friday morning and if he is unable to recover in time for the UEFA European Championship, he is likely to be replaced by either Sidney Govou, Péguy Luyindula or Olivier Kapo.

No guesses
"I don't want to make any guesses. I haven't called anyone yet," said France coach Jacques Santini. "I want to know what it is all about so I can take a decision as soon as possible. What I am sure of is that, if I have to call up someone else, I will not pick a player for Ludovic's usual position."

Micoud decision
However, playmaker Johan Micoud, who was on standby for the squad originally, appears to have burned his bridges with Santini. "I heard Micoud say he would not come back," the coach said last week. "I will take his decision into account."

Penultimate friendly
Prior to the game against the Andorrans - the defending champions' penultimate friendly ahead of their tournament opener against England on 13 June - France have been preparing in the sunny resort of La Grande Motte.

Desailly misses out
Even if fit, Giuly and Monaco team-mate Jérôme Rothen would not have been considered for selection on Friday. Another player to miss out will be captain Marcel Desailly, who injured his right knee during the first half of the friendly against Brazil last week. AS Roma midfield player Olivier Dacourt also has a knock and is expected either to be on the bench or to sit out the match entirely.

Remarkable run
The likes of forward Louis Saha, goalkeeper Mickaël Landreau and midfield player Benoît Pédretti are likely to get a run-out against Andorra as France seek to extend a remarkable sequence of 860 minutes without conceding a goal.