Platini to lead French charge

Press, 17 June 1986, Page 40

Platini to lead French charge

NZPA-Reuter Mexico City Michel Platini turns against his Italian league colleagues tomorrow and seeks to lead the European champion, France, into the World Cup quar-ter-finals by toppling the title-holder, Italy. Platini has won a vast array of trophies since he joined Juventus Turin and settled in the country of his ancestors after the 1982 World Cup — and now a World Cup title is virtually all that is missing from his collection. But a clutch of his Juventus colleagues will be r

out to thwart Platini’s World Cup ambitions in the second round match in the Olympic Stadium. It is a challenge to which Platini, who can be expected to respond by raising his performance above the relatively modest level attained so far. Platini, the European footballer of the year, always seems to excel when the big occasion demands, as his goals in crucial games testify. Platini also scored when France beat Italy in Paris before the World J

Cup in 1982, the first French win over Italy since 1920.

Italy knows Platini’s strengths all too well and may detail Salvatore Bagni to shadow him as he did Diego Maradona in the 1-1 first round draw against Argentina. “The French may think they are playing better but we’ll see once they meet us,” said Bagni in Puebla before the squad left for Mexico City yesterday. The winger, Bruno Conti, one of five members of the side which

won the 1982 World Cup final who are likely to feature in tomorrow’s opening line-up, knows Platini is not the only threat. “I don’t think we’ll have any special - defence against the French. Platini is great but they have also got Giresse and Tigana and you can’t guard them all at the same time,” Conti said. The French team chief, Henri Michel, predicted a close game. “I think it’s an even match from the start between two teams who respect each other.

They are well organised and have experience of big competitions,” he said. Mr Michel’s one worry is the fitness of the goalkeeper, Joel Bats, who aggravated a knee injury in. France’s final firstround match against Hungary a week ago. Albert Rust, on the bench many times over the years, stands by for his first full cap if Bats is not fit “I would prefer a goalkeeper at 100 per cent to another below full strength,” said Mr Michel at the team’s first-round base in Guanajuato before the departure

for Mexico City yesterday. Italy welcomes back the defender, Giuseppe Bergomi, after the one-match suspension which made him miss last Tuesday’s 32 win over South Korea. Fulvio Collavati is likely to step down. Up front it will again look to Sandro Altobelli, who scored four of Italy’s five first-round goals. The Italian coach, Enzo Bearzot, said: “I’m making no prediction on the game but we are well prepared to beat France.” More on World Cup —Page 31.