Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines (France) (AFP) – Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud said France won’t be taking Belarus lightly when they begin World Cup 2018 qualifying in Minsk on Tuesday.

France have been in great form over the summer, reaching the Euro 2016 final on home soil in July before triumphing 3-1 away to Italy on Thursday in a friendly.

Giroud scored in that match and the 29-year-old expects a tough challenge from Belarus, whom France beat 3-1 at home and 4-2 away in qualifying for the last World Cup in Brazil.

“I don’t know this team (Belarus), we haven’t had time to study them,” said Giroud.

“We expect a difficult match but it’s up to us to make it easy.

“They’re well into their league season so physically they’ll be in top shape, which won’t be our case, me especially.”

Although Giroud described France’s Euro final defeat to Portugal as “painful”, he recognises that the national team is in rude health.

“We realise that we had a good Euro, we’re on the right path even though we lost that final,” he said.

“There was a lot of expectation and we lived up to that billing. Now, we mustn’t get over-confident or rest on our laurels.”