Patrick Vieira and Franck Ribery have been recalled to the France squad for a World Cup qualifier in Romania after recovering from long-term injuries.
The 22-man squad does not include Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri, who has just recovered from a knee injury.
“Samir is back playing but he is still not fully fit,” coach Raymond Domenech told reporters.
Vieira and Ribery missed France’s first two World Cup qualifiers in September, a 3-1 defeat in Austria and a 2-1 win over Serbia in Paris.
“We all know how important Patrick is. He is one of the best midfielders in Europe. When he plays at his best, he is indispensable to us,” Domenech said.
Ribery has not played for France since left the 2-0 defeat by Italy that knocked them out of the group stages of Euro 2008.
Ribery returned to Bayern Munich’s starting lineup only during Tuesday’s 1-1 home draw against Lyon in the Champions League.
“We saw he still had his speed although he cannot play a full game yet,” Domenech said.
“It is never an easy task to qualify (for a major tournament), especially when you are building a new team,” he said. “After our visit to Romania, everything will still be possible.”
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Hugo Lloris (Lyon)
Defenders: William Gallas (Arsenal), Philippe Mexes (Roma), Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Bakary Sagna (Arsenal), Gael Clichy (Arsenal), Rod Fanni (Rennes), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla)
Midfielders: Patrick Vieira (Inter), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth)
Forwards: Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Karim Benzema (Lyon), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Florent Sinama-Pongolle (Atletico Madrid), Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseille).
