Eric Abidal has urged France coach Didier Deschamps to persevere with out-of-form striker Karim Benzema by asserting that dropping the forward is not a viable solution.

Arsenal's Olivier Giroud was given the nod for Les Blues' 4-2 victory over Belarus last month, as the Real Madrid man continues to struggle in his bid to end a 16-month barren spell in front of goal at international level.

However, the 25-year-old was included in the squad to face Australia and Finland in the coming weeks, and Abidal believes that fielding Benzema is the only solution to solving the forward's confidence issues.

"I don't think leaving him on the bench or in the stands is the solution," the former Barcelona defender told beINSport

France host Australia at Parc de Princes in a friendly on Friday, before turning their attentions toward Finland in their final qualifying game of their World Cup campaign four days later.