Steven Gerrard is relishing the chance to renew England's rivalry with France at Euro 2012, and has stressed the importance of avoiding defeat.
Captain says England must not lose Euro 2012 opener
Steven Gerrard says he is relishing the chance to renew England's rivalry with France at Euro 2012, and he has stressed the importance of avoiding defeat.
The Three Lions continue their preparations for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine by taking on Belgium at Wembley on Saturday.
But captain Gerrard already has one eye on England's opening group game on 11th June against France, who have been tipped as potential champions.
The Liverpool midfielder has been impressed by Les Bleus but feels England can compete and must not lose the match.
He said: "I watched France last night against Serbia and they looked very strong. They are a good team. We know a lot about them because we've played against them before.
Challenge
"They've got some players that play in the Premier League. We have a lot of respect for them but they are not unbeatable.
"We know if we play to our maximum, our top form, there's a chance we can beat them. There is a big rivalry. There have been some mega clashes in the game.
"It's very important not to lose the game. A win would be fantastic but, if we can avoid defeat, it sets us up nicely for the next two.
"The challenge is to get out of the group, hopefully in first spot, but getting out is the first challenge."
