“France justifiably head into their World Cup qualification play-off against the Republic Of Ireland as favourites, especially given that the second of the two legs takes place in Paris at the Stade de France. But if any supporters of ‘Les Bleus’ who believe that qualification against Giovanni Trapattoni’s side is a foregone conclusion are surely mistaken. And they clearly haven’t paid enough attention to the Republic’s qualifying campaign so far.” (WorldSoccer)