We want to clinch finals spot with Paris victory, says Henry

FRANCE captain Thierry Henry has told his team to play for a win against Ireland and not settle for the draw that will be enough to secure their place in the World Cup finals.

The Barcelona forward warned his team-mates that facing the Irish on their own patch will be an even tougher task than last Saturday at Croke Park,

Though he could not predict what tactics the opposition might adopt, he insisted France would play the same way as they did in Dublin.

“We should play this match like it’s a one-off and not think about any advantage we took from the first match,” said Henry at Clairefontaine last night.

“We know it won’t be easy. We’re not expecting to go out and create lots of scoring chances.

“I’m not thinking about what happened over there. When we step out it’s 0-0.

“We know Ireland are a very tough team to play against – but even though they haven’t lost at home for a while, we beat them. They were unbeaten during the qualifiers, it’s up to us to stay vigilant.

“Ireland are always aggressive, in the good sense of the word, and they always make sure it’s a hard physical battle. We had to stand up to them in that first half in Ireland and we are ready to do the same at home.”

But Henry admitted that tonight’s task will be far from easy despite their 1-0 advantage.

“The hardest is yet to come, finishing what you started is the hardest bit,” he continued.

“We’re getting closer to it, so let’s try not to miss the last step. We’ve been fighting to qualify for the last two years, and now there is one game to go.

“We won over there but we still have one battle to come. We know they never give up and we will have to concentrate all the way. I said that since the Romania game (in September 2008) that this team is growing together, and that’s what you have to remember.”

Henry urged the French fans to get behind the team at the Stade de France, where, historically, Les Bleus have struggled to garner much support.

“I remember the last time we played them in the World Cup qualifiers, there were a lot of Irish fans at the Stade de France. Let’s hope it’s not the same thing this time, and it will be pretty good if the stadium was really blue.

“We’ll see. If that’s the case, it’s not the first time we’ll have played in front of a lot of opposing fans.”

Henry confirmed that there will be no great tactical changes from his side and although Eric Abidal will miss the game through injury, his replacement, Sebastien Squillaci, will not affect the team’s approach.

“I don’t know how they will play or what kind of game plan they will have,” he concluded.

“The only thing I can say is we will try and play the same way, try and win the game.

“We have a lot of respect for the Irish team and for Trapattoni. I’m sure that they will come with a plan, but we will try and win no matter what. That’s the only way we can do it. That’s the way we play.”