Injury-hit France have added Djibril Cisse and Jeremy Mathieu to their squad for the final round of Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Cisse and Mathieu added to Les Bleus squad
Injury-hit France have added Djibril Cisse and Jeremy Mathieu to their squad for the final round of Euro 2012 qualifiers.
National coach Laurent Blanc has seen his plans rocked by a spate of withdrawals.
Karim Benzema, Bacary Sagna, Franck Ribery and Blaise Matuidi have all been forced to pull out, while Kevin Gameiro and Eric Abidal are doubts for Friday's clash with Albania.
Gameiro and Abidal will remain with the squad in the hope of figuring in a meeting with Bosnia next Tuesday, but their involvement in that fixture is far from certain.
As a result, Blanc has opted to draft Lazio striker Cisse and Valencia defender Mathieu in as cover.
Cisse has been selected by Blanc for the first time since he inherited the reins from Raymond Domenech in the wake of a shambolic showing at the 2010 World Cup.
Temperament
The 30-year-old forward insists he never gave up hope of earning a recall and is determined to convince his national coach that he is deserving of a regular role.
"I never let go, it's not in my temperament," he told
L'Equipe.
"When I want something, I give everything.
"For me, this is not a stop-gap. If the coach calls on me then he thinks I can help, give something. If I can get a place, I'll take it."
He added: "It was hard to watch, not to be included. I've had ups and downs, but I have always remained attached to the France team. It feels good to be back."
