France manager Laurent Blanc has said that Fabio Capello told him before the draw for the Euro 2012 group stage that he didn't want to draw the French.
France were the team to avoid in pot 4 but aside from Les Bleus, Capello and England received a favourable group, with co-hosts Ukraine and Sweden completing the lineup.
England face Blanc's side in their opening game on June 11 in Donetsk.
"Before the draw Fabio Capello said to me, 'I hope we don't get drawn out with France'," said Blanc. "At the end of the draw he tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'I shouldn't have said that'.
"This game is always extra special. With them it's always a spicy encounter. England are the favourites. After that we have three teams all of a similar level."
France have recently changed their training base from Poland to Ukraine to try to gain an advantage as the majority of the Group D ties are in Ukraine, a decision Capello opted against.
