Paul Pogba banned from basketball... and his France compatriots show him what he's missing ahead of crucial World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria

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Paul Pogba may have been banned from playing basketball by Manchester United, but the midfielder's compatriots were busy showing him what he's missing as France prepared to face Bulgaria.

Didier Deschamps' men can take a giant step towards booking their place at the World Cup in Russia next summer with a victory in Sofia, with second-placed Sweden hosting lowly Luxembourg a point behind.

France, who face Belarus in Paris on Tuesday, will be confident of collecting the necessary points, and while qualification is still far from a formality, Les Bleus were in relaxed mood as they geared up for the clash at the Vasil Levski Stadium.

Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe was among the France players enjoying themselves

Mbappe bounces the ball at his feet as he takes part in the light training ground drill on Friday

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrian Rabiot lofts the ball long showing off his basketball skills

France currently top Group A but four teams can still qualify as winners with two games left

Kylian Mbappe, the Paris Saint-Germain forward, was all smiles as he took part in a light warm-up drills which enabled the players to show off their basketball skills as a teamwork and movement exercise.

France were held to a shock draw at home to Luxembourg in their last qualifier to leave qualification in the balance - just three days after a superb performance in the 4-0 thrashing of Holland.

This inconsistency shown at times during the qualifying process - as also seen in the 2-1 defeat by Sweden and goalless draw in Belarus - means Deschamps will be wary of the threat posed by their opponents.

Ahead of the clash with Bulgaria, the 1998 World Cup winner told the French media: 'Since the start, we know that this is a very important match for us. There was nothing more or less that changed our week before we got here today.

Christophe Jallet (centre) looks to throw the ball to a team-mate during the training session

The Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia will be a hostile ground come kick-off on Saturday night

Atletico Madrid forward Antonio Griezmann gets his hands on the ball during the fun drill

Griezmann has led from the front for his country in qualifying and needs another big display

'They are at home. They have a track around the pitch, so we will have to adapt. The pitch remains rectangular. 

'What is most important is the performance and attitude of the players. They have managed to win four times in qualifying with an aggressive approach.

'They have a quality to play through rapid counter-attacks. I don't think they'll change too much from their last game against Sweden [which they won 3-2].'

France have injury issues as they are without Layvin Kurzawa, Laurent Koscielny, Benjamin Mendy, Ousmane Dembele and Pogba. 

They won the reverse fixture 4-1 in October, but Bulgaria have triumphed in all four World Cup Qualifiers they have played at home in the group and still have a chance of qualifying for the World Cup as they trail France by five points.

Former West Ham playmaker Dimitri Payet rolls the ball underarm to a team-mate on Friday

France manager Didider Deschamps says he is not feeling the pressure of needing a result

Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette is part of the current squad overflowing with talent

Mbappe believes it will be a team effort if the country qualify for Russia 2018 next summer

There is also history between the two nations, as the last time France failed to qualify for the World Cup was in 1994 following a late defeat to Bulgaria in qualifying.

'It's a really important match, we have to go to Russia. It's more than a goal, it's a fact,' added Mbappe, who wasn't born until five years after the defeat to Bulgaria in 1993.

'We have a quality group with lots of players. There's no one player who makes the difference. The pressure is something I love. It gets me going, it's a source of huge pride to be able to rise to tougher and tougher challenges.'