French to keep cool against Irish, says Abidal

CLAIREFONTAINE, France (Reuters) - France are controlled enough to deal with any provocation from the Ireland players during their World Cup playoff, defender Eric Abidal told reporters on Thursday.

"They try to tickle your ankles, but that's part of football. It will require a lot of self-control from our part. We must make sure we hold our nerve in order not to hamper the team," Abidal said at the France camp outside Paris.

France face Ireland at Croke Park on Saturday in the first leg of the playoff. The return match is next Wednesday.

(Reporting by Bertrand Boucey, writing by Patrick Vignal in Paris, editing by Alison Wildey; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)