BERGISCH GLADBACH, Germany -- Brazil will have some insider information when it faces France in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

Three of Brazil's players -- Juninho, Cris and Fred -- play in France, all for five-time defending French league champion Lyon. Robinho plays for Real Madrid alongside veteran French midfielder Zinedine Zidane.

"I can't call it a test but France is definitely the best team that we've had to face," midfielder Juninho said. "It's a strong adversary ... I know several of the players -- five of them are from Lyon. They'll be hard to beat."

The last time Brazil played France at the World Cup, host France won the title with a 3-0 victory.

"It's a very compact team," defender Cris said. "France is a very strong team, a team that's growing and that has class in the world of soccer."

Brazil earned its spot in the quarterfinals by beating Ghana -- Africa's last survivor in the tournament -- 3-0 on Tuesday in Dortmund.

France had a comeback 3-1 win over Spain in Hanover, with Zidane crucial to the result -- setting up a goal and then scoring one of his own late in the match. He was also key in the final against Brazil in 1998, scoring twice.

Cris said Brazil would need to watch out for Zidane, who he described as "the brains" of the French team.

"He regained his form during this World Cup," Cris said. "If you let him do his thing, he'll unbalance the game so we have to pay special attention to him. He is the most dangerous player."

Brazil has been the most successful team in World Cup history, but its record against France is slightly checkered.

France eliminated Brazil in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, winning on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw.

Brazil's only World Cup win over France came in 1958, when Pele scored a hat trick in a 5-2 victory in Sweden.

Both teams have faced heavy criticism at home for their lackluster starts at the World Cup.

Brazil's assistant coach Mario Zagallo said France had improved significantly since the start of the tournament.

"France's game against Spain was already completely different to their first games. They have evolved and played well," Zagallo said. "They were verging on exiting the competition. ... But they won their game and are now on equal footing with Brazil."

Juninho agreed that it was normal for teams to take a while to warm up.

"No one, not even Argentina, started off that strong. It's hard in a World Cup," he said. "Sometimes even teams like Brazil aren't playing that well but are still able to win games."

The defending champions got three goals against Ghana, extending Brazil's World Cup record to 11 consecutive wins -- including seven in 2002.

While the Brazilians have respect for their experienced French adversaries, the team is not worried.

"We'll play on top of (Thierry) Henry and Zidane. They are two experienced players. They control the center with a very strong defense," Cris said. "The have experience, have been playing together for quite a while. But they also have their faults and we will have to make the most of those."