Senegal are in determined - if realistic - mood as they look forward to kicking off the 2002 World Cup against France in Seoul.
"The French are the world champions and we are just small upstarts," said coach Bruno Metsu.
"We will fight, work and do the utmost to compensate for their talent."
Were Senegal to sneak a victory, it would be the biggest opening upset since Cameroon beat Argentina 1-0 in Italia `90.
Metsu conceded, though, that this was a difficult task.
"It won`t be easy because of the pressure," he said.
"It is our
first big match on the world stage."
After a nightmare 3-2 defeat in a friendly against Saudi Arabia two weeks ago, Senegal recovered some form to beat Ecuador 1-0.
"We still have some small problems, but nothing comparable to what we had against Saudi Arabia," Metsu added.
The team`s star player, striker El-Hadji Diouf, also said the team was looking forward to the 31 May kick-off.
"We want to show we have guts," he said.
"Now, the most important thing is to make the team score. Whether it is me or somebody else doesn`t really matter."
