Desailly focused on first round

France may be favourites to retain the World Cup but captain Marcel Desailly today insisted the squad are not looking beyond qualifying for the second round.

The reigning world and European champions kick off the tournament here in Seoul tomorrow against Senegal.

Desailly said: ‘‘It’s too far away for me to think about winning this World Cup. We are completely concentrated on qualifying from the first round.

‘‘It is really important to win, or at least not to lose, the first game - it’s important to start really well.’’

It is quite probable that the 11 players who start for Senegal will be among those of the squad who play for French clubs. It is equally likely that the entire French starting line-up will be based outside their native country.

France coach Roger Lemerre admitted the situation was unique and would add spice to the contest.

‘‘In some ways it will be like a French league game,’’ he said. ‘‘They know the French players’ way of thinking, techniques and sports culture very well.

‘‘At the same time, they have their own attitude and personality so it is not entirely the same. I think neutral fans in the stadium will support them because they are the underdogs so we have to concentrate very hard on playing well.’’

Zinedine Zidane is out injured for at least the first two games and his replacement is likely to be Youri Djorkaeff, now playing at Bolton.

The Real Madrid star may be France’s playmaker but they won the World Cup in 1998 despite losing his services for two games when he was sent off needlessly against Saudi Arabia.