France have announced their provisional squad for the upcoming European Championships this summer, and will be taking two Arsenal stars to the tournament.
The Gunners have one last Premier League match this weekend before their players depart to join up with their respective international sides, but a number of Arsenal’s first-team will not feature in the tournament.
France boss Didier Deschamps has confirmed that Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny will be a part of his 23-man squad.One who misses out if Francis Coquelin.
Le Coq is yet to be called up to a single French senior squad, despite featuring for their youth sides and having emerged as one of the top defensive midfielders in the Premier League.
Koscielny is likely to be a regular starter in Deschamps side this summer, with his side having lost Kurt Zouma and Aymeric Laporte to injury.
Giroud is no guarantee to start however, having struggled for form in recent months. Manchester United’s Anthony Martial could be selected to play down the middle ahead of him, although the Arsenal striker will not have to fend off the challenge of Lyon’s Lacazette, who has been surprisingly left on the reserve list.
The Gunners pair will be joined by fellow Premier League stars Dimitri Payet, Moussa Sissoko, Yohan Cabaye, Bacary Sagna, Elaquim Mangala, Hugo Lloris and Arsenal target N’Golo Kante.
Provisional squad for Euro 2016
GK: Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda, Benoit Costil
Def: Bacary Sagna, Patrice Evra, Raphael Varane, Laurent Koscielny, Eliaquim Mangala, Christophe Jallet, Lucas Digne, Jeremy Mathieu
Mid: Lassana Diarra, Blaise Matuidi, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Moussa Sissoko, Yoann Cabaye
Att: Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Anthony Martial, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Dimitri Payet, Kingsley Coman
Reserve list: Alphonse Areola, Morgan Schneiderlin, Hatem Ben Arfa, Alexandre Lacazette, Kevin Gameiro, Adrien Rabiot, Djibril Sidibe, Samuel Umtiti
Does Giroud deserve his place? Should Lacazette’s exlusion put us off his signature?