French coach wary of formidable Danish striker duo ahead of U21 quarter-final

Gerard Baticle, the coach of the French Under-21 national team, has cautioned that “Les Bleus” need to be on high alert regarding the formidable Danish attack as they prepare for their quarter-final clash against Denmark, scheduled for Sunday evening at the Tatra Arena in Presov.

Denmark has surprisingly secured their place in the U21 Euros quarter-finals, having achieved remarkable victories against Ukraine and the Netherlands during the group stage. Baticle asserts that the French favourites must be mindful of the threat that the strong Danish forwards pose as they head into the key match in Presov.

“They possess talented individuals in attack, notably a striker (Osula) who has already notched three goals. Additionally, they have quality players in midfield and defence. They operate as a cohesive unit, displaying well-drilled patterns of play,” Baticle commented, as reported by uefa.com.

Baticle also emphasised that Denmark’s ability to give numerous players a chance to perform at the tournament will have allowed coach Steffen Hoyer to fine-tune his best formation for the encounter against France.

“They are a team that poses a significant attacking threat. They are a strong side and the only team to have won their first two group stage matches, boosting their confidence for the final match and enabling substantial squad rotation.”

France enters the match with a wealth of confidence following their resounding 4-1 triumph over Poland in their concluding group match. Baticle’s squad has demonstrated their attacking prowess with six different players contributing to their seven goals, and they are the only team in the tournament that has recorded at least 24 shots on target across their first three group games.

“We have prepared for this match in various ways. Initially, we took a moment to celebrate achieving our primary objective of advancing past the group stage. Then we concentrated on recovery. Now, our focus has shifted to analysing our opponents, as we do for every match.”

Newcastle’s William Osula (three goals) and Sporting Lisbon’s Conrad Harder (two goals) have been the primary contributors to Denmark’s scoring in the tournament; however, coach Steffen Hoyer has yet to decide whether to start both players together this evening.

“I am considering whether to deploy both of them simultaneously and how that aligns with the rest of the team as we prepare to face stronger opponents. While there is significant attention on who starts the match, it is equally important to consider who is on the pitch when the crucial moments arise. This is especially true in a quarter-final that could extend into extra time and penalties.”

The match is set to commence at 18:00 CET tonight.