Forget said his players and the spectators would aim to make life as uncomfortable as possible on the slow red clay for an Australian team that is aiming to end a 13-year Davis Cup drought in the event's centenary season.

France have named Cedric Pioline and Sebastien Grosjean as their singles players with Fabrice Santoro and Olivier Delaitre to play doubles, while Australia have selected Mark Philippoussis and teenager Lleyton Hewitt as their singles players in the absence of the injured Pat Rafter with veterans Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge filling the doubles role.

Hewitt has a perfect 4-0 Cup record winning both his singles in the quarters against the US and semis against Russia.

Forget, keeping his cards close to his chest, could make a change to his side ahead of this afternoon's draw. Nicolas Edscude orSantoro are in line to take over from Grosjean, who has failed to sparkle in training.

Forget insisted his players were in top form after a week-long training stint at Hendaye on the Spanish border. ``Now what counts is what happens mentally,'' he said.

Action at the Acropolis Exhibition Centre starts tomorrow with the opening two singles. The doubles are scheduled for Saturday with the reverse singles on Sunday.

The doubles loom as vitally important. Every team that has won the trophy over the past 21 years has won the doubles in the final.

Australian pair Woodforde and Woodbridge are unbeaten for over five years in Davis Cup play and have a 13-2 Cup record, but they have lost the only two times they have played Santoro and DeLaitre.

Santoro said the French pair do not allow the two Aussies to play their normal attacking game.

``They tend to try and win the points within two or three shots, while we are going to try and make them play some longer rallies,'' Santoro said.

Australian skipper JohnNewcombe, who won the Cup five times as a player, said an Australian victory would be a memorable climax to his six-year stint as captain, along with Tony Roche as coach.

``When you are a player you are thinking more about yourself, but as a captain or coach you feel a responsibility to every player in the squad. Now we are here we only have one objective in mind,'' he said.

The Australians have been robbed of Rafter, Woodbridge and Philippoussis through injury at various stages of their campaign this year, but players such as 18-year-old Hewitt and unheralded duo Wayne Arthurs and Sandon Stolle have stepped into the breach.

``We've had a tough draw this year and we kept getting hitby injuries,'' Newcombe said. ``Every time someone was asked to step up they did they job and that is typical of the squad.

``There is no more pressure than there is in Davis Cup. If things don't go your way you need to hold together as a team. This team is still together, positive and very strong.''

Australia will beseeking their their first-ever Davis Cup final win in Europe after losing to Germany in 1993. Woodforde and Woodbridge were members of that team and lost the doubles and they know another loss could be fatal to Australia's chances.

``When you are comfortable that you've prepared properly, your nerves are a lot better,'' Woodforde said. ``We learned from 1993 what we need to do to give ourselves the best chance of victory.''

France have been victorious on eight of the 12 occasions they have made the final. Their campaign under new captain Forget has been helped by playing every match this year on home soil.

While France won the Davis Cup in 1991 and 1996, Australia's last triumph was back in 1986, when they beat Sweden at Kooyong.

Australia hold a 9-3 edge in Davis Cup meetings between the two nations, but the teams are 2-2 on clay.

The home team has won the title 57 times and the visitors 29, but four of the last five finals have been won by the visiting team.