Arsenal players Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud have been selected by manager Didier Deschamps to represent France at Euro 2016.
France are the host nation of this summer’s European Championships, making the international call-ups even more meaningful than ever.
#ListeDes23 La liste de Didier Deschamps : pic.twitter.com/BfUFb1UsXr
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Giroud’s form has dipped in recent months but the striker has still netted 21 goals for Arsenal this season. He’s also scored four in his last five appearances for France and could lead the line with Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema excluded.
With 14 goals to his name in 47 appearances for his country, the 29-year-old will be desperate to impress.
Meanwhile, Koscielny is likely to start in defence after Mamadou Sakho was banned for the duration of the tournament after controversy with a drugs test.
Koscielny hasn’t started regularly for France in recent years, only winning 27 caps for his country, but will now almost certainly be first choice alongside Raphael Varane.
Former Gunner Bacary Sagna has also been selected but Mathieu Debuchy missed out after suffering an injury on Thursday, a thigh problem has ruled him out for a number of weeks.
Arsenal’s Francis Coquelin also hasn’t done enough to impress Deschamps and will watch the competition from home, meaning he gets a good break before next season begins.
Congratulations to Olivier and Laurent on their call-ups!