Lloris expects ´more fun´ when France clash with Switzerland

France captain Hugo Lloris expects a “more fun” match when his side conclude their Euro 2016 Group A duties against Switzerland in Lille.

The host nation won their opening game against Romania thanks to a last-minute strike from Dimitri Payet, and only late goals from the West Ham star and Antoine Griezmann proved enough to secure victory over a stubborn Albania side.

But Lloris believes Switzerland’s style of play will make for a more attractive encounter at Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Sunday as France look to justify their favourites tag by securing top spot in the group.

“We expect a slightly different match compared to the first fixture. Switzerland have a lot of individual talent so it should be a more fun game and more open,” he said.

“There’s one more match and there’s still something at stake – we need to defend top spot in the group.

“The most important thing is that all 23 players are involved, which you’ve seen in celebrations. The coach will pick the side but of course there are concerns over levels of freshness. But our first target is to win the match. We need to complete the job to meet people’s expectations.

“It’s always tough to know what we might come up against but we do have this tag of favourites in the group. It’s important for us to finish top.

“We go into the game looking to win it, as ever. We’ll try to put in 100 per cent.”

Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer produced a superb display against Albania to preserve his side’s 1-0 lead throughout, and Lloris was full of praise for his opposite number. 

“He’s a young goalkeeper with a lot of ability. I came up against him when he played for FC Basel and I was struck by his ability then,” he added.

“He made the difference against Albania and secured the three points. He’s full of confidence right now, just as his team is.”

Lloris concedes that Les Bleus’ most pressing concerns could be Switzerland’s prowess from set-pieces and the playing surface at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, with both teams forced to train at the nearby Lille Metropole complex in order to preserve the pitch.

“They score a lot of goals from set plays so we can look at it as a good test,” added the Tottenham skipper. “At certain stages we did struggle in those situations but we were able to rectify things.

“Set-pieces often come down to aerial challenges. Everyone has to take their responsibility.”

“The pitch at the Veldorome in Marseille was pretty tricky as well but we’re professionals and we have to adapt.

“We want to put on a show by playing good football.”