England have been declared as underdogs for the opening game in Group B, which could have a major bearing on the country's progression in the tournament.

But Sven-Goran Eriksson's side have lost just one competitive fixture since the Swede took over as coach three years ago.

In that time England have beaten the odds when they won in Germany 5-1, beat Argentina at the World Cup and earned the point they needed to qualify for Portugal with a draw in Turkey.

And the England captain insists those performances under Eriksson have given the team a great belief heading into the game against the French.

He said: "The expectation for this tournament is very high and that is what we are taking with us on Sunday.

"Most of the talk has been about how good the French team are and rightly so because they have a lot of world class players and a world class team.

"But so have we. We have some great players but also a number of good youngsters.

"We have to perform to the highest level possible like we did against Germany in Munich, Argentina in Sapporo and Turkey in Istanbul.

"That's the level we have to get to especially because of the quality of the players we are up against. We definitely need a standard that is very high.

"Everyone of our players respects their players and their team as a whole, but once we cross that line the respect will be out of the window and we'll be fighting to win the game.

"It's important we don't lose the game. If it's draw then great, a win is even better."

Beckham is looking forward to playing against Real Madrid teammate Zinedine Zidane, but is adamant France are not a one-man team.

He added: "I think people realise what an amazing player he is and no-one more than me. To play with him is a great honour, but against him is going to be tough.

"We have not singled him out because they have a number of players who are great ones. We've obviously spoken about him as a person, but more as a player and we have got our way of dealing with him and hopefully it will work.

"But France is not just a one or two man team. They have more players than just Thierry Henry and Zidane, they have a great team."

The 29-year-old goes into the tournament without any of the injury concerns that plagued his preparations ahead of the last World Cup.

And the former Manchester United midfielder has set his sights on making an early mark in the European Championships.

He said: "I'd like to think I will have a big impact in this tournament because like all players you want to perform at the highest level.

"I have to lead as a captain and that is what I will do. I will try my best as always but all the players will try and do their best.

"It's a massive challenge but we all like that in our lives and careers. I have been happy with the way it has turned out for me so far, but I am looking forward to it.

"Playing France is a massive challenge for the team and the country. It's like when we were in the World Cup and everyone was talking about Argentina.

"That game turned out perfectly for us in the end so I hope it will happen again, but we realise how hard this game is going to be."