France friendly vital for Brazil`s morale: Fred

Porto Alegre: Striker Fred admits Brazil must win Sunday night`s international friendly against France to restore their confidence ahead of the FIFA Confederations Cup.

The match at Arena do Gremio will be Brazil`s last warmup fixture before their Confederations Cup debut against Japan in Brasilia June 15. Luiz Felipe Scolari`s team has won just once since the 64-year-old replaced Mano Menezes as national coach in November. The victory against Bolivia has been accompanied by a loss to England and draws against Chile, Russia, Italy and England. "This match will be important to build up our morale ahead of the tournament," Fred said during a press conference Saturday. The 29-year-old will face two of his former Lyon teammates, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, now at Tottenham Hotspur, and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. "Benzema is a great striker, a player out of the ordinary," Fred said. "And Lloris is a fantastic goalkeeper. I hope we can reduce their impact because that will go a long way to helping us win the match." Brazil have not defeated France since a 2-0 victory in Paris in 1992. Since then the teams have met on six occasions, with France winning four times, including a 3-0 victory in the 1998 World Cup final at Stade de France. IANS