EURO 2020 inside track: France

Group F fixtures

15/06: France vs Germany (Munich)
19/06: Hungary vs France (Budapest)
23/06: Portugal vs France (Budapest)

Coach: Didier Deschamps
Captain: Hugo Lloris
Nickname: Les Bleus (The Blues)
How they qualified: Group H winners (W8 D1 L1 F25 A6)
EURO best: winners (1984, 2000)

Where they could play their knockout games

Round of 16: Bucharest, Budapest, London or Seville
Quarter-final: Saint Petersburg, Munich, Rome or Baku
Semi-final: London
Final: London

Final 26-man squad

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Mike Maignan (Milan)

Defenders: Lucas Digne (Everton), Léo Dubois (Lyon), Lucas Hernandez (Bayern), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris), Jules Koundé (Sevilla), Clément Lenglet (Barcelona), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern), Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid), Kurt Zouma (Chelsea)

Midfielders: N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea), Thomas Lemar (Atlético Madrid), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Moussa Sissoko (Tottenham), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern)

Forwards: Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Kingsley Coman (Bayern), Ousmane Dembélé (Barcelona), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea), Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona), Kylian Mbappé (Paris), Marcus Thuram (Mönchengladbach)

UEFA.com France team reporter: David Crossan

Covering France on home soil at EURO 2016 was a treat. The highlight was the semi-final victory over Germany in Marseille as the stadium was noisier than any I've ever experienced for an international fixture. Other highlights included quizzing captain Hugo Lloris about his love of the film Gladiator and coach Didier Deschamps warning me to watch out for sunburn in our few days on the south coast.

How they play

Deschamps has used the last nine months to try out several systems but the diamond midfield employed in the warm-up friendly against Wales looks the most likely EURO formation. It allows Kylian Mbappé to partner the recalled Karim Benzema in attack, supported by Antoine Griezmann in the hole, with all three afforded total freedom when France have the ball.

Key player: Kylian Mbappé

The Paris Saint-Germain forward is happier the better the opposition. In between tournaments, France tend to take on sides who sit back and pack the defence and midfield, making it hard for Mbappé to use his strengths. Better sides try to play more and that's when Mbappé springs into life, lethal on the break.

Coach: Didier Deschamps

Put simply, Deschamps is a tournament animal. Having lifted the World Cup and EURO trophies as a player, he now has the chance to make history and achieve the same double as a coach. Deschamps sets France up to be hard to break down and the squad has talent to burn.

One to watch: Kingsley Coman

After missing France's 2018 World Cup glory because of injury, Coman has extra motivation. Deschamps' desire to balance the side could mean the Bayern speedster having to content himself with a bench role. As he's as quick as Mbappé, no opposition defender will relish seeing Coman's number flash up.

Can they win it?

Of course they can. France have a stronger team now than when they fell to Portugal in the 2016 final and a tough group will ensure they are battle hardened when it comes to knockout football. No country can match France's enviable strength in depth, giving Deschamps outstanding bench options.