Didier Deschamps Believes Weather Will Favour Super Eagles

Manager Didier Deschamps is not in support of the timing of the second round World Cup clash between France and Nigeria on Monday afternoon.

The game is scheduled to start 1300 hours at Estádio Mané Garrincha, and he believes the weather will favor players from the dark continent.

The former Marseille defensive midfielder has pointed out that the harsh weather conditions affected the performance of Brazilian and Chilean players in the opening knock out fixture.

“Yes (it bothers me). It is a slightly different time. The last three days, trying to adapt to this schedule, we changed the food.

“Nigerians are naturally more adapted to heat. A game this time may largely influence the pace of the game. You need to manage these problems,” Didier Deschamps told reporters.

“Yesterday we saw the Brazilians and Chileans after extra time, they finished very tired. It really is a time that requires a lot from players.

'There’s the question of humidity too. The physical part will be very important,”he added.

The only injury concern for the Blues coach is the fitness of Liverpool central defender Mamadou Sakho, who underwent individual training on Sunday, as he continues to struggle with a muscle complaint.