The Juventus defender, who passed Marcel Desailly's record as France's most capped player last week against Togo, said here Thursday: "It was good to come up against a talented team in Spain in the second round, we had to raise our game.

"Now we have to raise it again for Brazil, not only in terms of quality of play but also our level of concentration."

The bespectacled 34-year-old 1998 World Cup winner insisted it would be wrong to suggest France was reborn in Tuesday's polished 3-1 win in Hanover.

"The roots for that success were put down a long time ago," he insisted.

"We've got a very good squad who have a desire to achieve, that's what's impressed me the most.

"We want to be solid together, and each player is linked to the others, the essence of a good team."

He spoke in near reverential terms about the opposition lying in wait in Saturday's quarterfinal in Frankfurt.

"When you look at Brazil's players it's extraordinary the talent they've got, two Footballers of the Year in Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, Kaka, Adriano, Cafu and a very good keeper.

"They're favourites but the beauty about football is that favourites don't always win."

Indeed France are something of a bogey team for Brazil who lost to les Bleus in the 98 final and at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico on penalties.

Thuram revealed he'd been surprised at the cricitism Ronaldo had received in the run up to Germany.

"I can't understand why that's happened. He's a top quality player, there must be a reason why he's the World Cup's top scorer, the figures don't lie.

"For me there's no striker to touch him."

France's presence in the last eight is proving especially enjoyable for Thuram as the veteran Juventus' star knows this is his last appearance in the competition.

"It's a great pleasure to be here as this is my last World Cup, I'm very lucky to be participating in it.

"Arriving in Germany my one thought was -- I hope this isn't going to turn out like 2002 (when the then defending champiomns crashed out of the first round without scoring a goal).

"So when we qualified from our group last Friday against Togo it was a liberating moment both for me and the team."

Thuram will be winning his 119th cap having passed Desailly's benchmark of 116 appearance against Togo, and asked what that milestone meant to him he shrugged: "Honestly I'm not thinking about my record number of caps, I didn't come here to do that, maybe after the World Cup's over I'll reflect back on it properly, but not now."