The England captain is urging his men to prove they are better than France in the Group B clash by denying time and space to the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry.

"The plan is to get right at France in the first 10 minutes and not to be fazed by any of their players because I think we've got a great team," Beckham said.

"Personally I think we've got a better team than France. Only in the game will that be proven and we've got to perform well on the day.

"If every player performs well then we have got a great chance of coming out on top and getting the win we want from the first game."

Zidane, Henry, David Trezeguet and Robert Pires will carry the attacking threat, while France's gritty midfielders Patrick Vieira and Claude Makelele will provide strength at the back.

Beckham, though, is backing the likes of combative midfielder Steven Gerrard, playmaker Paul Scholes and strikers Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney to match Jacques Santini's side.

"We've got to forget how good other teams are," Beckham said. "The French team is one of the best in the world and have got the best players in the world.

"But if our team all comes together at the right time, then we are definitely capable of beating anyone.

"We are all looking for improvement in our game and, if we can find that improvement and bring it into a competition like this, then we can go all the way."

Beckham's prediction of a torrid welcome for the 1998 world champions at the Estadio da Luz followed a similar one from Gerrard.

The Liverpool captain, who is preparing for another round of his personal battle with Arsenal skipper Vieira, said: "Our midfield will be trying to put our markers down early. It's important that we don't let France set the tempo."

England's campaign in Group B continues against Switzerland and Croatia.