France must forget about their extraordinary 2-1 victory over England when they take on Croatia in their second Euro 2004 match, coach Jacques Santini said on Wednesday.

"Beating England always triggers emotion. It's always something special," Santini said.

"Thursday's match against the Croatians will be different but it will not be easier than the previous one."

Santini repeated that the champions would go all-out for the win that would qualify them for the quarter-finals before the third game against Switzerland.

"Croatia have players with some of the best clubs in Europe," Santini said. "Their team is as good as the English one. They always have a tradition of playing like a club in a very collective manner."

The French coach should not make many changes to the team which clinched a 2-1 stoppage-time victory over England in Lisbon on Sunday.

Defender Marcel Desailly, fit again after a knee injury, could start, while midfielder Claude Makelele, nursing a painful shoulder, could be replaced by Olivier Dacourt.

Santini hopes his team will be able to repeat the 1998 and 2000 campaigns when the key players were allowed to miss the first-round's closing match.

"It's crucial to qualify as soon as possible," said captain Desailly. "It will give the opportunity to spare some of the guys and to field some others.

"It's important physically and psychologically because everyone wants to play. And you must give them the chance if you can. It keeps a more relaxed atmosphere in the group."

Desailly said he was expecting a tactical battle.

"I guess they will wait for us for a while, trying to score on counter-attacks," he said. "But if they failed to find the way to the net in the first hour they will have to take risks.

"If we can score early in the match, they will have to play. The game will be more open. It's what we want."