PARIS -- Its been a long wait for Kevin Gameiro.But in the absence of the injured Olivier Giroud and with Karim Benzema still out of the France squad, the Atletico Madrid forward will finally get the opportunity to establish himself for good in Didier Deschamps team.Gameiro, who joined Atletico in the offseason for a reported 30 million euros ($34 million), is expected to start alongside Madrid teammate Antoine Griezmann when France takes on Bulgaria on Friday at the Stade de France in a World Cup qualifier.The European Championship runners-up, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Belarus in their Group A opener, will then travel to Amsterdam to play the Netherlands three days later.Griezmann, the top scorer at Euro 2016, is Deschamps first choice, with Gameiro, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Anthony Martial and Nabil Fekir in competition to replace Giroud.The Arsenal striker, who has not started a game this season with his club, has been hindered by a toe injury while Benzema -- who has not appeared for France since being charged with blackmail over a sex-tape scandal -- still has no place in the plans of Deschamps, at least on a short-term basis.The double absence of Benzema and Giroud is likely to benefit the 29-year-old Gameiro, who has strong credentials for his inclusion. His main asset is the promising relationship he has started to build with Griezmann at Atletico. Despite Fernando Torres competition that has been limiting his playing time, Gameiro has scored three goals and delivered as many assists in nine appearances.Individually, both of them are quality players and the fact that they are playing together with their club is a good thing, Deschamps said. They can improve their chemistry.Gameiro started his international career six years ago and was regularly called by previous France coach Laurent Blanc, until a friendly game against the United States in November 2011. The former Sevilla player then had to wait nearly five years before wearing the France jersey again.Gameiro, who scored the equalizer in the Europa League final as Sevilla came from behind to beat Liverpool 3-1, sometimes felt forgotten after he left Paris Saint-Germain to move abroad. He was selected on a list of reserve players for the European Championship but did not make the final cut, and finally received a proper call-up in September, making his ninth international appearance against Belarus after coming in as a substitute.It was a very long wait. These things happen during a career, but I never gave up, Gameiro said. Sevilla is a big club in Spain, but in France they dont get much exposure. Signing at Atletico Madrid put me one step above.Against a Bulgarian team that conceded three goals in its 4-3 opening win over Luxembourg, Deschamps will field an offensive-minded side, with Paul Pogba and Dimitri Payet also expected to start. Rafael Montero Jersey .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. Bartolo Colon Rangers Jersey . 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Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. Ramkumar Ramanathan, who opened Indias Davis Cup challenge against Spains Feliciano Lopez in New Delhi on Friday, has stressed on the need for Indian tennis players to mirror the culture and work ethic adopted by the Spanish contingent.Speaking exclusively to ESPN, Ramanathan said that just observing the work put in by Spains athletes shows what makes them such a formidable unit.They work really hard. Thats the key. They do all the things right. Theyre very professional, they have dinner together, they sit down and talk before the matches. I think all that has a big role said Ramanathan.Take their practice sessions. Yesterday Nadal came and practiced for 2 hours, someone like him doesnt need to do that, but he still does. So it shows how much all this means to him and the team.In comparison, Ramanathan did state that a similar work culture and discipline does exist within the Indian team, but it must be scaled up to better prepare Indian players for quality international opposition.Its not like the Indian players havent been doing it but its just that as we grow higher and higher in the rankings, we need to do more. So thhat when you go into big matches like this it doesnt come as a surprise, youve already done it all before.ddddddddddddRanked 203 in the world, the 21 year old from Chennai put in a spirited display against Lopez, ranked 177 places higher than him, even managing to force the Spaniard to drop a set in the first rubber, that lasted just over 2 hours.?Ramanathan, who looked set to pose a comeback after taking the third set 6-3, went down 6-1 in the fourth, and admitted that Lopezs experience and mental strength taught him a lesson to remember.Its more of a mental game, than a physical one. Even when Feli (Feliciano Lopez) was not feeling great, he found a way to start well in the fourth set and he broke me. Thats where the experience comes in. He showed me how I should have held those games and he showed me what I did wrong.Ramanathan will next play David Ferrer in the reverse singles rubber on Sunday. Ferrer had beaten Saketh Myneni in straight sets to give Spain a 2-0 edge at the end of Day one. ' ' '