France and Australia will face off in a friendly on Friday.
The French are coming off a terrific 4-2 win over Belarus in the World Cup qualifiers but are likely headed for a second place finish as first-place Spain has a game in hand. While scoreline indicates a lop-sided affair, the French actually struggled in the early going and were down just 32 minutes in. Franck Ribery leveled the score in the 47th minute, but the French conceded in the 57th. Ribery answered in the 64th before the floodgates were opened and Paul Pogba and Samir Nasri added goals of their own. Absent from the fray was Karim Benzema who was left on the bench for the match.
The Real Madrid striker has been a cause of frustration for fans as he has not scored in 15 matches for his country; the last goal he scored was in a friendly against Estonia in June 2012.
However, Monaco defender Eric Abidal has thrown his support behind the struggling Frenchman and stated that leaving him out of the games will not help the situation.
"I don't think leaving him on the bench or in the stands is the solution," he said, according to Goal.com.
Prediction: France is the favorite and could teach the Australians a few more lessons. Expect the Socceroos to make up for their dreadful performance against Brazil, but this will ultimately go to France; 3-0 for Les Bleues.
Start Time: Kickoff starts at 3 p.m. EST
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