France will treat international friendlies as Euro qualifiers, says coach Didier Deschamps

Euro 2016 hosts France will approach friendly games in the build-up to the 24-nation tournament as if qualification depended on them, coach Didier Dechamps said on Saturday.

Having beaten Spain 1-0 in Paris on Thursday, France face Serbia in Belgrade on Sunday in the first of eight games against teams in Europe's qualifying Group I, the only one with five instead of six teams.

"The objective is to beat every team in the group and get maximum points and that means we will head into these matches as if we do not have an automatic berth in the finals," Deschamps told a news conference.

"It's the best way to peak in time for the European championship where the expectations will be huge.

"We have two years to ready ourselves and we will have to work hard to attain the desired level," the 45-year old former France captain said speaking through a translator.

France were impressive against Spain after reaching the last eight in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which Deschamps described as a priceless experience for a team he expects to be Euro 2016 title contenders on home soil.

"The 50 days we spent together before and during the World Cup was a priceless experience and any additions to the squad can only make it more competitive, but the new arrivals will have to earn their spots," he said.

"I will reshuffle the starting lineup for the game against Serbia because we played against Spain just two days ago and we need to take a look at everyone."

NEW DAWN

Serbia failed to reach either this year's World Cup or Euro 2012 and their captain Branislav Ivanovic said the Euro 2016 qualifiers should represent a new dawn for the Balkan nation under Dutchman Dick Advocaat.

"It is a decisive moment for Serbian football and with more teams than ever participating in the European championship, nothing less than a berth in the finals will do," the Chelsea defender said.

"It is good that six players who represent the national team's backbone ply their trade in the Premier League but it also adds pressure to prove that we can be as successful at international level.

"We have been too inconsistent in the past and still have a lot to learn as a group. There is room for improvement."

Apart from Ivanovic and his Chelsea team mate Nemanja Matic, the Manchester City duo of Aleksandar Kolarov and Matija Nastasic, Liverpool forward Lazar Markovic and Southampton winger Dusan Tadic should all start against the French.

Advocaat, who took over from caretaker Ljubinko Drulovic in July, said his squad could not have asked for a better test of their credentials before the opening qualifiers away to Armenia and at home to Albania in October.

"Against the French we will see where we stand and which departments we need to look at before the real thing kicks off.

Portugal and Denmark are the other teams in Group I.