PARIS -- Despite helping France reach the European Championship final, striker Olivier Giroud finds himself once again fighting for his place in the national side.His position has come under serious threat from Kevin Gameiro, and coach Didier Deschamps must choose between them to play alongside Antoine Griezmann in Fridays World Cup qualifier against Sweden.Gameiro appears to be the favorite to start, but Girouds physicality and heading ability could prove useful against a robust Sweden side level with France in Group A.Olivier and Kevin have different styles. Olivier is more of a link player, Kevin is more about speed and making runs, Deschamps said. Both are very effective. I can use one at the start and one can come on during the match, depending on the opposition.Giroud scored three goals at Euro 2016, forging a decent partnership with Griezmann, the competitions top scorer with six. But he has lost his place in the Arsenal side to Chile striker Alexis Sanchez, while Gameiro is thriving at club level alongside Griezmann at Atletico Madrid.Although Giroud started Frances first match in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, he missed two clear chances in a 0-0 draw at Belarus.Gameiro replaced him in a 4-1 win at home against Bulgaria and a 1-0 win at the Netherlands. He scored twice against Bulgaria, with his second goal set up by Griezmann. Their partnership is progressing well at Atletico, where they have 13 goals between them this season.However, Giroud also has found some form recently for Arsenal.He came off the bench to score twice in quick succession in a 4-1 win at Sunderland and followed that up with a goal in the Champions League. But he was back on the bench again for the match against Tottenham last weekend, with Sanchez starting.Hes not at 100 percent, he knows it and I know it, Deschamps said Thursday. But I know what Olivier can do, and Kevin, too. All of this plays a part in my thinking.It is a familiar situation for Giroud.With France, he was often second choice behind Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, and before facing competition from Sanchez at Arsenal, he was battling Theo Walcott for the center forwards jersey.Thats the story of my career: Ive always had to fight to keep my place, Giroud said in a recent interview with sports daily LEquipe. But I have experience and good matches that speak in my favor.The 30-year-old Giroud has 21 goals in 57 games for France, while the 29-year-old Gameiro has a more modest three in 11. But because Gameiro is playing regularly with Griezmann in a dangerous-looking partnership, Giroud fears that gives his teammate the edge.I would be lying if I said the opposite, Giroud said. But thats not everything. I also showed that I could play well alongside Antoine at the Euro.The muscular striker set up Griezmann for the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Ireland that sent France through to the quarterfinals at Euro 2016, showing great awareness to cushion a header perfectly into this path for the nippy forward to run onto.The international careers of Giroud and Gameiro appear somewhat fused.Girouds first appearance for France saw him come on as a substitute, replacing Gameiro in a 1-0 win against the United States five years ago.It inadvertently became a transitional moment, with Gameiro drifting out of the France team for five years until his recent return.Im happy for Kevin, because he bust a gut to get back, Giroud said. But that doesnt mean you have to start to question everything that went before. Ive scored 11 goals in my last 15 games with the national team. CHEAP NFL JERSEYS AUTHENTIC . PAUL, Minn. JERSEYS NFL CHEAP . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. http://www.cheapauthenticjerseysnfl.com/ . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. CHEAP BASEBALL JERSEYS . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. NFL JERSEYS FROM CHINA .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Kevin Porter and defenceman Chad Ruhwedel from the minors as part of a five-player roster shuffle made by the NHLs worst team.TORONTO - In a cost-cutting move intended to avoid the increasingly punitive penalties tied to the NBAs restructured luxury tax, the Raptors have used the amnesty provision to waive forward Linas Kleiza. The team announced the move on Tuesday. Kleiza, 28, was set to enter the final season of a four-year deal he signed with Toronto in 2010 and is owed $4.6 million in 2013-14. The Raptors will still have to pay the remaining amount owed to Kleiza but his contract will not count against the teams salary cap. The Raptors, who were projected to be over the luxury tax line with Kleizas contract on the books, find themselves roughly $2.5 million under the threshold after cutting the forward. Additionally, they can now reap the rewards of remaining a non-taxpaying team, which include a larger mid-level exception and a share of the money collected from taxpaying teams at season end. Both Tim Leiweke and Masai Ujiri have indicated that the organization would be willing to pay the leagues tax in the event that they were funding a contending team. However, it would be a lot tougher to justify missing out on the aforementioned benefits awarded to non-taxpayers to field a team that figures to be a middling group in the Eastern Conference. Ujiri had hoped to move Kleizas expiring contract for a draft pick but the forward has minimal trade value, if any, as a result of the knee injuries that have plagued him throughout his tenure in Toronto. Kleiza underwent surgery on his right knee in 2011 and has been slowed by the injury ever since. He last played on Dec. 26 and appeared in just 20 games last season, averaging 7.4 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting just 33 per cent froom the field.dddddddddddd Following the 2011 NBA lockout each team was granted one amnesty clause to be used prior to the expiration of the new collective bargaining agreement. Teams who have yet to use their lone amnesty clause have a one-week window to utilize the provision each summer following the July moratorium period. This year, the amnesty window closes at 12:00am ET Wednesday July 17. Kleiza averaged 9.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 108 contests over three seasons with the Raptors. Buycks on Board The Raptors finalized an agreement with guard Dwight Buycks (pronounced Bikes) on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Buycks, 24, won league MVP playing in France last season -- averaging 18.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game -- after collecting first-team all-rookie honours with the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League the year prior. He went undrafted out of Marquette in 2011. Buycks story is one of perseverance. After several years of chasing his NBA dream in the D-League and overseas, he continued to turn heads playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Orlando Summer League earlier this month. The Milwaukee native averaged 9.5 points and 6.0 assists in four games for the undefeated Thunder team before Ujiri and the Raptors expressed interest in the point guard. He made his Toronto debut, getting the start for the Raptors Summer League team in Las Vegas Tuesday. With the reported signing of Julyan Stone on hold -- and now appearing unlikely -- as the former Nuggets guard rehabs nagging hip and knee injuries, the Raptors will look to add a more experienced back-up point guard for the veterans minimum. ' ' '