England vs. France Preview: 5 Players the Three Lions Need to Worry About

The last time these two classic rivals met was in November 2010 at Wembley. France emerged with a 2-1 victory that night, in a match they had largely dominated. It was their fourth consecutive win, a run that has now bloomed to 21 games without a loss.

June 11 marks the next time these two footballing titans will face off, this time in the European Championships.

France find themselves in a decidedly more buoyant mood than England at the moment. They have avoided the rash of injuries that has crippled the English defense, and they are positively brimming with confidence following a stretch of three exhibitions in which they've knocked in nine goals while conceding only two.

England, by contrast, have managed just two goals themselves in narrow 1-0 wins over Norway and Belgium.

Roy Hodgson's defense will have its hands full trying to contain Les Bleus come Monday. Here is five players they will need to keep a keen eye on.

Karim Benzema

For so long it looked as if Benzema would fail to fulfill his prodigious potential at the international level.

Whether it was off-the-field antics or dust-ups with players and coaches, the ex-Lyon striker found the going tough in the past four years with Les Bleus.

Things got so bad under former manager Raymond Domenech toward the end of 2009 and start of 2010 that Benzema was forced to the fringes of the France squad.

The nadir came when he was left off the 23-man roster for the 2010 World Cup.

At the time, Benzema was embroiled in a prostitution scandal concerning an underage girl, and had seen playing opportunities come at a premium in his first season with Real Madrid after making a £30 million move in July 2009.

But now all that seems like a distant memory. Benzema fired in 32 goals in all competitions for Madrid this past season, and bagged a brace in France's final warm-up exhibition match before the Euros. He has re-emerged as the deadly striker everyone thought he could be.

His movement is sharp, and his finishing has been top-drawer. One look at his first goal against Estonia, a wondrous right-footed curled effort into the top corner of the net, was testament enough to that.

There are few strikers in finer form than Benzema at the moment.

Franck Ribery

Like Benzema, Franck Ribery found the going quite precarious when it came to international play these past few years.

Before bagging a sublime volleyed goal against Iceland in late May (France's first exhibition ahead of the Euros), Ribery had not scored in the blue/white/red shirt since a March 2009 World Cup qualifier against Lithuania.

In between those two goals, he had also been linked in that prostitution scandal, and had been one of the French players implicated for igniting the training ground "strike" at the 2010 World Cup.

But no longer.

Ribery has scored in each of France's last three matches, the latest emanating from a sensational bit of link-up play with Benzema that ended with Ribery slotting a cool finish into the bottom right corner of goal.

When he is on form, there are few wingers as devastating as the man Bayern Munich fans have taken to calling Kaiser Franck.

His pace makes him an immediate threat on the wing, but he possesses an underrated technical ability that has been on full display in these past few matches. Combined with his near-uncanny ability to stay on his feet under duress of challenges from opposing defenders, there are few like him in the world.

The five-man French midfield has been the basis of some sublime bits of play in these most recent games, engaging in quick passing and smart movement in the gaps and fissures of the final third. Against a lumbering England defense, they may just fancy their chances.

Samir Nasri

The man Arsenal fans used to (key word there being used) affectionately call "Super Sam" is coming off a league-winning season with Manchester City, and he has moved right into Laurent Blanc's midfield as the fulcrum sitting just behind Benzema.

The Mancunian's technical prowess and eye for the killer pass have been superb in these warm-up friendlies, and while he looks to have put on a few pounds since his nascent days with Marseille, when he appeared capable of dribbling through any and all defenders in the final third, Nasri has not lost that capacity to flummox and befuddle opposing defenders.

He is brimming with confidence—who wouldn't be, after all, after putting Piers Morgan in his place—and despite a mixed history with Benzema, the two can play some very good football when they are both on the same page. At the moment, they are.

Bad news for England. Good news for France.

Yohan Cabaye

No player better represents the new culture Laurent Blanc has instilled in the French camp since taking over in July 2010 than Yohan Cabaye.

The midfielder told BBC Sport that the former Bordeaux manager has "instilled a group mentality and team spirit like you find in a club."

That cohesiveness is on full display on the pitch, and nowhere more evident than in the midfield—Cabaye's eminent domain. Whereas France were once divided, there is a surreal fluidity to the attacking play not seen in years. The movements often begin with Cabaye's dogged work in defense, and careful distribution.

The Newcastle midfielder has planted himself in the central holding midfield role of Blanc's 4-2-3-1 formation with alacrity, looking as if he has been occupying the position for years.

With a defensive midfielder alongside him (against England, it will be Alou Diarra), Cabaye is afforded freedom to roam throughout the attacking half of the pitch, which he often does to devastating effect.

On Tuesday against Estonia he fired in some venomous efforts from outside the penalty area, and did well to bring players into the action through his distribution.

Though he often does not get the notoriety he deserves, Cabaye will be one to watch come Monday.

Olivier Giroud

He will not start against England, but the Montpellier forward, who led Ligue 1 with 21 goals this past season, has become the ultimate super-sub for France these past two weeks.

In his past three games (against Iceland, Serbia and Estonia), Giroud has contributed three assists, and while not seeing a lion's share of possession—he does not need to be on the ball to have an impact—he has still found a way to be incisive, often setting up teammates with well-placed nod-downs and short passes.

His assist for Jeremy Menez against Estonia (France's fourth goal on the night and Menez's first for Les Bleus) saw Giroud deaden a low cross from the left flank perfectly for the arriving Parisian, who made no mistake with his left-footed finish.

This is a summer when Giroud will likely be on the wish lists of many of Europe's top clubs. A good showing at the upcoming Championships will lend a major chip in his favor as he heads to the negotiating table in July.

The Premier League may just appeal most to Giroud, whose physical approach to the game makes him a constant threat in the air, not to mention difficult to push off the ball when he comes into possession.

Should he keep up this form (let's not forget he scored in his full debut against Germany back in February), he may be able to make some hefty demands.