Zidane backs France

France will not crumble under the weight of expectations as the host nation of the Euro 2016 tournament and will instead take advantage of the atmosphere generated by the home support, former captain Zinedine Zidane told a news conference.

Zidane, who played a pivotal role in France's World Cup triumph on home soil in 1998, also backed the team to reach the latter stages of the 24-team tournament.

"This team is a very good team, so I expect them to do well in competition. I hope they win, but even if they do not win, they have to do well in competition," Zidane, currently manager of Spanish side Real Madrid, told reporters while on a trip to Mumbai in India.