France not too old for Spain, says Sagnol

HAMELIN, Germany, June 26 (Reuters) France are not too old to trouble a Spain side blessed with young talent, defender Willy Sagnol said before tomorrow's World Cup second round clash.

France's ageing team, relying on several players clearly past their prime, has looked sluggish so far and their fans fear they might struggle against their neighbours in Hanover.

Sagnol, however, insisted all the players in the squad were fit and hungry.

''I really don't believe age will be a deciding factor in this match, but experience might be,'' France's right back told reporters today.

''We are not feeling tired at this stage. We still felt fresh towards the end of the match against Togo,'' which France won 2-0 on Friday to advance to the last 16, the 29-year-old added.

''We are very well prepared for this and we owe it to Robert Duverne's great job,'' Sagnol said, paying tribute to France's fitness trainer, normally in charge of French champions Olympique Lyon.

Players like Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram and Fabien Barthez, all survivors of France's triumphant 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 campaigns, are well over 30 and every match now could be the last they play for Les Bleus.

Zidane, who turned 34 on Friday when he missed the Togo game through suspension, has said he will retire after the finals and several other players could follow him out.

''Zizou will be ready for Spain, believe me,'' said Sagnol, who is close to Zidane. ''He knows he's fit and he knows we are all confident we can win. His motivation for this match, as ever, will be extremely high.'' France have failed to shine against opponents weaker than Spain on paper, drawing with Switzerland and South Korea before taming Togo, and now need to step up a gear.

''We have not reached our maximum yet,'' said Sagnol. ''We all realise that the way we played against the Swiss or the Koreans will not be good enough against the Spaniards.

''We need to improve if we are to go further and we are all confident we can. Of course this is a test but we are ready for it.'' REUTERS PDS ND1940