The Arsenal skipper has been out of commission since France's failed Euro 2004 campaign but is confident of adding to his 72 caps at the Stade de France.

"I am fit to play Saturday night. I've been training for 10 days with Arsenal," Vieira, who was nursing an injured thigh, said.

Vieira's return is timely as the 1998 World Cup champions look to a brave new world after the retirement this summer of four of their anchormen - Marcel Desailly, Zinedine Zidane, Bixente Lizarazu, and Lilian Thuram.

Talismanic goalkeeper Fabien Barthez had planned to join the slippers and pipe in front of the fire club but the Marseille stopper on Thursday said he would commit himself to his country for the next two years.

Yet he is unavailable for Saturday's game and the next qualifier against the Faroe Islands on Wednesday due to a right foot injury, his place being taken by Lyon's more than capable Gregory Coupet, who will be winning his ninth cap.

David Trezeguet is also out of contention meaning only Vieira and his Arsenal teammates Thierry Henry and Robert Pires are left standing from the Class of '98.

Their fortunes are being guided now by former French Under-21 coach Raymond Domenech, whose authoritarian manner is somewhat removed from life under his somewhat sedate predecessor, Jacques Santini.

Domenech, whose regime includes banning his squad from using mobile phones on the massage table, reckons he's more of a colonel than a general.

"What's the difference? One gives orders, the other manages," he said when tackled on the subject this week.

Domenech will be looking for a sharper performance in these back-to-back qualifiers than the one that eked out a less than convincing 1-1 draw with Bosnia in last month's friendly in Rennes, after which he said: "There's no excuse for a lack of enthusiasm".

On the plus side he added dryly that he'd watched "sadder matches in the month of August" than this one.

With experienced defenders Desailly, Thuram and Lizarazu no longer around Domenench has plenty of reconstruction work to attend to.

"The priority is to build on solid bases," he stressed.

"But in terms of the defence it's not important whether it consists of three, four or five players - defence is all about spirit - we saw that with the Greeks at Euro 2004."

A measure of the yawning gap in experience between the France team in action at the European Championships and the one that will turn out on Saturday can be gleaned from the fact that in Portugal Santini's defenders boasted 250 caps between them - Saturday's back line totals a mere 34.

While the hosts will be expected to get their World Cup camapign off to a flying start their opponents Israel insist they are not there to make up the numbers.

"I'd love to start this campaign on a positive note," said Israel coach Avraham Grant.

"We are not going there with our hands up."

But assessing the task ahead he injected a healthy dose of realism when he pointed out: "In France they have 15 talented players for each position, but here we have to use a magnifying glass just to find one."

Israel lost both times to France in qualifying for Euro 2004 and Grant is aiming to make it to Germany as second in Group 4 to favourites France.