Frei: France will be the team under pressure
Victory would ensure Les Bleus finish top of qualifying Group Four, booking their place in Germany next year.
“The stadium will be full. We have nothing to lose,” Frei said yesterday.
“On the other hand, if [Zinedine] Zidane, [Patrick] Vieira or [Claude] Makelele don’t go to the World Cup, what a shame,” he added.
Frei, who finished top scorer in France’s Ligue 1 last season with 20 goals from 36 games, has only netted once in nine matches in the current campaign.
“France have nothing to fear of Alexander Frei,” he said. “I’m feeling down. One goal from nine league games, it’s really pitiful. I’m mad about it,” he said.
Meanwhile, France coach Raymond Domenech is keen to see a reduction in the number of competitive matches players have to face in the modern era.
Domenech was speaking after seeing his top two strikers ruled out of France’s crucial World Cup qualifiers against Switzerland and Cyprus because of injury.
Arsenal hitman Thierry Henry has been absent from club duty for several weeks because of a groin strain while David Trezeguet suffered a thigh injury playing for Juventus in their 2-0 win over Inter Milan on Sunday.
Domenech admits the loss of both Henry and Trezeguet is a massive blow to France but concedes it is symptomatic of the problems coaches face these days.
“I have to say it was amazing to see players having played 75 games like I saw last year,” he said. “Stop increasing the number of games. I saw Juventus-Internazionale on TV and when I saw Trezeguet depart, I stopped watching.
“I wondered how many players would be at Clairefontaine with me today,” he added.
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