Best World Cup result. World Cup 1998 was clearly the pinnacle of Les Bleus’ history, winning the tournament held in France, by defeating Brazil 3-0 in a memorable final, with legendary number 10 Zinedine Zidane heading in two goals, rounded off by Emmanuel Petit’s third.

Most forgettable World Cup moment. Hard to choose considering France’s mercurial nature, but France’s complete collapse in front of the world’s media in 2010 is hard to top. The players went on the strike, locking themselves in the team bus, and France crashed out in the group stages.

In Group E with: France find themselves as the favourite to qualify from their group, which includes Ecuador, Honduras and Switzerland.

Tactics/playing style. France have switched between 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 in qualification, but seem likely to stick with the latter once the tournament starts. They will play a counterattacking game, although the Bleus will miss Ribery's pace, with support from their physically imposing and technically adept midfield.

Strengths. The quality of France’s midfield should tell at the World Cup. Blaise Matuidi has matured into one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world, Cabaye has the composure and ability to pull the strings and Pogba can do everything well and with ease. The attacking trident of Valbuena, Ribéry and Benzema would have been of a very high standard, but Griezmann – who'll probably replace the Bayern's winger – is one of the best French emerging talents.

Weaknesses. The defence, while stacked with talented individuals, has lacked cohesion and continuity for Deschamps’ reign. While Varane and Sakho are likely to start, neither are first choice at their club. While Debuchy and Evra both offer a lot going forward, neither concentrate enough in defence. Luckily for them, Lloris is probably the best goalkeeper in the EPL and has superb reflexes and anticipation.

Key player. Franck Ribéry is France’s key man. After his revelation in 2006, 2010 was a tournament to forget. He has put his personal problems behind him and has emerged as a leader on the pitch for France, finally playing as well for his country as he does for his club. Unfortunately Ribery won't be in Brazil due to an injury. France's key players will probably be Pogba.

Star of the team. Paul Pogba is the rising star in France’s team. At Juventus he has evolved into arguably the second best player in the league in his position (after teammate Arturo Vidal) and has transferred his form seamlessly into the national set-up. Pogba enjoys the attention, and with his imposing build and bleached hair he can’t be missed when diving into tackles, dribbling opponents and blasting in long range goals. Pogba has all the tools to be Vieira’s heir, with an arguably more refined all-round game.

Players to watch. Antoine Griezmann, the late entry to the squad, is fast, extremely technically adept, dribbles people for fun and has a killer instinct in front of goal.

Serie A players to watch. The only Italian based player is Pogba, and Juventus fans know all about him, as does every other team in Serie A. He keeps Marchisio out of the team, and at only 21 years old is already arguably one of the best in the world in his position.

Prediction. “Nobody in France believes that France will win the World Cup.” Who am I to argue with Arsène Wenger? Despite this pessimism, it is clear that France is a maturing team with bags of potential. Their defensive frailties may cause problems, however France have a favourable draw. If the games go as predicted by the bookmakers, then they will face Portugal in the quarter-finals. The semi-finals are not beyond this team. Fourth place.