Keane holds no fears for Sagna

FRANCE defender Bacary Sagna has pointed to his proud record against Robbie Keane at club level as a reason for his side’s confidence going into tomorrow’s World Cup play-off at Croke Park.

The Arsenal full-back, who is now first-choice right-back in the France team, has faced Tottenham striker Keane four times in Premier League matches in the last two and a half seasons and is yet to finish on the losing side.

Keane has never scored against a team with Sagna in it and the last time they met, at the Emirates last month, Sagna kept Keane quiet in Arsenal’s 3-0 win.

“Of course I like playing against Robbie Keane, you are always motivated when you play against someone of that class,” said Sagna. “He is a classy striker and very clever, but we also have some clever defenders who are very strong man-to-man.”

Sagna, speaking at the French training-camp in Clairefontaine yesterday, is another player, along with team-mate Patrice Evra, going into the game one booking away from a suspension. “The yellow card situation is of secondary importance for me, what counts is qualifying and if I get suspended, then that’s football. We have a strong squad and everyone here can give something.”

Sagna is likely to come up against Damien Duff, another player he has faced before. “He has experience and is dangerous but I am ready for it,” he added.

Meanwhile if Ireland’s strikers could choose any goalkeeper to come up against this weekend, it might well be an inexperienced 22-year-old with less than 10 caps to his name who conceded five goals in his last club appearance.

Hugo Lloris is the man who might stand between Ireland and a place at the World Cup, and though some of his six international performances have been erratic – he is already the only French goalkeeper ever to have been sent off – he has a habit of saving his best for big games.

At the moment, Lloris is in possession of France’s No 1 jersey though in the first six games after Euro 2008, Marseille’s Steve Mandanda, only 24, was first-choice. Two blunders, against Argentina in February and Nigeria in June, gave Lloris his chance.

This season Lloris was outstanding in Lyon’s two impressive Champions League performances over Liverpool, particularly in the second game, a 1-1 draw at Stade Gerland. “I probably played my best game [against Liverpool] as I had to contribute more than usual,” said Lloris.

And tomorrow Lloris is fully prepared to come under pressure from the Irish attack but has vowed not to change his normal game just for the play-offs. “A lot of people wanted to see how I would react after I was sent off against Serbia, but I stayed true to myself by not changing anything whatsoever,” he said.