SPORTSWORLD.AM
France Under-21 coach Gerard Batticelle says the Blues must be wary of a powerful Danish attack ahead of their quarter-final clash with Denmark at the Tatra Arena in Presov on Sunday evening. Denmark have surprisingly booked their place in the quarter-finals of the European Under-21 Championship after impressive group stage wins over Ukraine and the Netherlands, and France coach Gerard Batticelle says the French favourites must be wary of a powerful Danish attack ahead of their quarter-final clash in Presov.
"They have good individuals up front, including a striker (Osula) who has already scored three goals. But also good players in midfield and defence. They are also a compact team with a well-developed style of play," Batikl said, according to UEFA.com. Batikl also stressed that the Danes' ability to give many players the chance to shine in the tournament has given Stephan Hoyer the ideal conditions to choose his ideal formation for the match against France. "They are a team that looks very dangerous in attack. They are a big team. They are the only team that has won their first two games in their group, which has allowed them to approach the third game with a lot of confidence and be able to make a lot of rotations."
France are heading into the match with great confidence after their 4-1 win over Poland in their final group game. Batticaloa's team have shown their numerical strength, with six different players scoring their seven goals, and they are the only team in the tournament to have had no fewer than 24 shots on target in their first three group games. "We have prepared for this match in several ways. First of all, we have enjoyed achieving our main objective, which was to get out of the group. Then we have focused on recovery. And now we have turned our attention to our opponents, as we do in every game." Newcastle's William Osula (three) and Sporting Lisbon's Conrad Harder (two) have combined to score most of the Danes' goals in the tournament, but Denmark coach Stefan Hoyer has yet to decide whether to field both of them at the same time tonight. "I'm looking at whether we should play both at the same time and how that will relate to the rest of the team now that we have to face a stronger opponent. A lot of attention is paid to who starts, but it's also important who is at the end of the game when everything is decided. That's even more important in the quarter-finals, where there could be extra time and penalty shootouts."