KUALA LUMPUR: France hockey is on fire, and Les Bleus want to finally get their hands on the elusive Junior World Cup (JWC) title.
France will not be daunted though they face Germany, the most successful team in JWC history with six titles from 12 editions, in the final tomorrow at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit
Jalil.
The only other time that France qualified for the final was in 2013 in New Delhi, and incidentally, they were outplayed 5-2 by Germany.
This time, France are the most impressive side in the JWC, as they are the only team with a 100% winning record in five matches.
In group matches, France beat Egypt 3-1, Germany 2-0 and South Africa 5-4. They knocked out Australia 3-2 in the quarter-finals and Spain 3-1 in the semi-finals.
So, France have a psychological edge against Germany in the final, having drawn first blood in their group battle.
But France captain Gaspard Xavier feels that playing in the final is a totally different game.
"The Germans are strong and they will give us a tough fight," said Xavier, who was the Man of the Match in the semi-finals against Spain.
"We are playing well as a unit and we hope to keep the momentum going in the final," said 20-year-old defender Xavier who has 16 caps with the France senior team.
Forward Gaspard Denis, who at 18, is the youngest player in the France team, said: "It's every player's dream to play in the final and win the cup. This is my first JWC and I'm happy to score three goals in five matches."
France will be powered by eight players from their 2021 squad, including Xavier, Mathis Clement, Noe Jouin and Brieuc Delemazure.
These players also featured for the France senior team that finished fifth in the European Championship in Germany in August.
German forward Ben Hasbach, who scored two goals in the 4-1 semi-final win against India, said the France team are very organised, strong offensively and defensively.
