How are France preparing for the tournament?
The squad's preparations have been marked by the dispute between Laurent Blanc and the FFF over the coach's contract, although these have at least publicly taken a back seat for the time being. Les Bleus' preliminary squad will be named in two stages due to the fact that the Ligue 1 season is the latest to finish in Europe. Another issue that has caused some tension between the national team and the local FA. Blanc will name the foreign-based players from his roster on May 9, with the domestic players to follow on May 15. The fixture against Iceland in Valenciennes on May 27 may well be a chance for the overseas contenders to shine as a result, with the Ligue 1 stars integrated for matches against Serbia and Estonia on June 1 and 5 respectively. Les Bleus have made their initial headquarters in Donetsk, where they will benefit from Shakhtar's training facilities.

What is France's realistic target for the tournament?
Blanc has said that outdoing the France team that went to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is his primary goal, but that seems a little modest. Winning the group is certainly not beyond Les Bleus, who have beaten both Ukraine and England in recent friendly matches. Progression to the quarterfinals is probably what's expected of this group as a minimum.

What is France's toughest game in the group?
France has not faced Sweden under Blanc, so that will be an entirely new challenge for the coach, while meeting Ukraine in a competitive environment in front of its own fans will bring its own challenge. Even England, despite the somewhat bedraggled state, possess threats that Les Bleus cannot write off, so France will not see any one of its rivals as a particular danger.

Are there any injury or fitness concerns?
With the exception of Eric Abidal - who has had to undergo a liver transplant - and the injured Bakary Sagna, France should be able to select all of its big guns for the tournament, although Loic Remy has been troubled by some persistent minor problems of late and Abou Diaby, who has barely been fit all year, is considered a doubt for the opening match against England due to a thigh problem suffered with Arsenal when playing against Stoke.

Are there any surprise picks who could go to the Euros?
Hatem Ben Arfa has not been involved in action for France since Blanc's very first game in charge, when he selected a side deprived of any of the 23 players who traveled to the World Cup. That group went to Norway and lost 1-0 in a friendly. In stellar form with Newcastle, though, he is going to be a hard player to overlook. Yoann Gourcuff, meanwhile, is a real favorite of the coach, so despite a couple of mediocre campaigns with Olympique Lyonnais, it's not completely unthinkable that the former AC Milan playmaker could travel.

What is the biggest issue for the coach to resolve?
Gelling the team into a competitive unit is a key concern. France undoubtedly has a batch of high-quality individuals, particularly offensively, but too often in recent seasons the team has not formed a cohesive unit for the country. This was most starkly apparent when the squad revolted against Raymond Domenech at the World Cup, and Blanc must now look to forge the kind of team spirit that champions possess. It is, however, an unenviable task.