Domenech warns against French complacency

France coach Raymond Domenech on Monday warned his side not to take minnows the Faroe Islands too lightly prior to the World Cup qualifying match between the sides in Guingamp on Saturday.

With two matches to play in European qualifying group seven, France trail leaders Serbia by four points and look destined to miss out on an automatic qualification berth.

The play-offs, contested by the eight best runners-up from the nine European groups, appear to represent France’s only hope of making it to South Africa next summer but Domenech says nothing has been decided yet.

“I’ve heard it for a few weeks: ‘We will be in the play-offs,'” he said in a video diary on the French Football Federation website, before “reminding, notably the players, that first we have to beat the Faroe Islands”.

“It’s not a done deal. The players mustn’t turn up like a bunch of tourists, saying: ‘We’ve won, no problems’.”

France host Austria, four points behind them in third place, in their final qualifying match on October 14.