Revenge against Germany will be in our minds: France's Sissoko

Marseille, July 5 (IANS) France midfielder Moussa Sissoko said revenge will be on their minds when they take on Germany in the semi-finals of Euro 2016 on Thursday.

Germany beat France in the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup before going on to win the tournament and Sissoko said the heart-breaking defeat still hurts the French.

"We want to win at all costs in order to qualify," Sissoko was quoted as saying by goal.com on Tuesday.

"Being knocked out in the quarters at the last World Cup still sticks in the throat. This is the time to make amends for that defeat."

The 26-year-old said France now need to prove themselves and believes the outfit will leave no stone unturned to reach the final.

"I don't think there is a special rivalry with this Germany team. They have a young team, just like us. They have a great team with some great players," he said.

"We have a calmer team than two years ago and we've had good results. We now need to prove ourselves on the field. Thursday, on paper, is the biggest game of the tournament. We'll do everything we can to reach the final."

Sissoko is also banking on home advantage which he hopes would help France overcome the German juggernaut.

"It will be a difficult match against the world champions. But we have the home advantage. We have all the weapons to put in a good performance and to reach the final," he said.

"We haven't taken on as big a country as Germany yet. We're not going to complain about our draw as it allowed us to reach the semis. Thursday is a huge game."

--IANS

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