Kylian Mbappe is expecting a tough night in Dublin as Ireland welcome France to the Aviva Stadium for Monday's Euro 2024 qualifier, and the France captain is hoping that his side can keep emerging Ireland striker Evan Ferguson quiet throughout.
The France striker believes that his side have to able to counter the Irish physical threat as they look to make it two from two in their Group B campaign.
And while Mbappe said that the team watched some of Ireland's victory over Latvia on Wednesday, he was expecting a different dynamic than the friendly game for the competitive fare that will be on display at Lansdowne Road on Monday night.
"It was a friendly game, so it is hard to take any lessons from it," said Mbappe.
"But they play an interesting system with three at the back. They have a reputation for playing a physical style, but they also play a lot of good football, so it is not going to be easy for us.
"We will have to be aggressive, and we have to play our game," added the World Cup Golden Boot winner, who is also looking to move up the ranks of his nation’s goalscorer charts, currently in fifth place, three off Michel Platini’s tally of 41 goals, while current team-mate Olivier Giroud sits atop the table on 53 goals.
"We saw some clips about him. Of course he is an important striker for the Ireland team but we hope tomorrow we do our job. But he is a good player," added Mbappe, when asked about Ferguson.
Manager Didier Deschamps said that he is expecting an enthusiastic performance from Ireland in front of their home support, while acknowledging that Stephen Kenny's side are more than capable of maintaining possession.
"Ireland have this determination which is part of their football DNA but that is not everything, they also have quality, and they are capable of playing on the ground.
"You also have to mention the support they have that will push their team forward. I am expecting a high-level match. They play a different system, this Ireland team, they like to play three at the back."
Deschamps would not draw comparisons with the Euro 2016 encounter that saw France defeat Ireland 2-1 in Lyon in the round of 16, however, he was also aware of the emerging threat in the Ireland team.
"If I think back to 2016, I remember we were losing 1-0 at half time, that was a round of 16 game, that was a difficult one.
"There is a new generation now with new players, [Evan] Ferguson poses a threat, a good player, [Mikey] Johnston as well has joined the team, it is a mix of young and experienced players.
"But our team is different too, it is hard to compare really. Ireland are known for being direct and vertical in how they play, but of what I’ve seen in recent games they are capable of playing the ball along the ground as well. Of course, they have a new coach who arrived in 2020 as well."
Watch Republic of Ireland v France in Euro 2024 qualifying on Monday from 7pm live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live commentary on 2fm's Game On
