Alessandrini wins maiden France call-up

Didier Deschamps has handed a first France call-up to Rennes forward Romain Alessandrini for next week's friendly against Germany. The 23-year-old former Clermont Foot player, who joined Rennes from the Ligue 2 side last summer, features in the 23-man list for the Stade de France clash. Uncapped Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane is also included, and having been involved with the squad previously without making his senior debut, the 19-year-old will hope the opportunity arises next Wednesday. Varane scored for Madrid and was man of the match in their 1-1 draw against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday. The squad contains ten players from Ligue 1 and nine based in the English Premier League, including Newcastle United's recent signings Mathieu Debuchy and Moussa Sissoko, plus three from Spain and one, Bayern Munich's Frank Ribery, from Germany's Bundesliga. France squad Goalkeepers: Mickael Landreau (Lille), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Steve Mandanda (Marseille) Defenders: Gael Clichy (Manchester City), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle United), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Adil Rami (Valencia), Mamadou Sakho (Paris Saint-Germain), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid) Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United), Etienne Capoue (Toulouse), Maxime Gonalons (Lyon), Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille) Forwards: Romain Alessandrini (Rennes), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Bafetimbi Gomis (Lyon), Jeremy Menez (Paris Saint-Germain), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich). From FIFA