France’s Under-21 side travel to Estonia on Tuesday with little room for distraction. The draw against Iceland last Friday slowed their momentum, but it did not remove them from the leading group in Euro Under-21 qualifying.
Les Bleuets remain unbeaten after the 1-1 result against Iceland and sit top of the section on 17 points. Switzerland are level with France in the race for first place, while France still have a match in hand following the postponement of their fixture against Luxembourg after the Luxembourg Under-21 team’s bus accident.
France looking to protect their position
The trip to Estonia offers France a clear chance to reinforce their qualifying position before a potentially decisive home meeting with Switzerland on 6 October.
Dropping points would complicate the build-up to that match. A win, however, would keep France in control of their own route towards the European Under-21 Championship and preserve their unbeaten record.
Estonia still without a victory
Estonia are bottom of the group in sixth place with two points. They have yet to win in the campaign, drawing twice and losing six times, and have struggled to stay competitive across their qualifying matches.
The first encounter between the teams underlined the difference in form, with France winning 6-1 on home soil. Estonia now face the leaders at a difficult moment, still searching for their first success of the qualifying campaign.
For France, the task is straightforward: turn their superiority on paper into three points, avoid another setback after the Iceland draw, and arrive at the Switzerland match with their qualifying push intact.
