France rumble forward with menace but Scotland pop up with the ball. The joy is short-lived though, with France picking up a cheap penalty.

Free-kick to France. The visitors call for another scrum to put more pressure on the Scots.

Sam Warburton
Former Wales captain on BBC One

These early exchanges are vital and Scotland will want to be on the right side of the referee at scrum times.

Referee Karl Dickson re-sets the early scrum on his first taste of Six Nations action.

A kick from Finn Russell is sclaffed but a knock-on brings another scrum Scotland's way.

And away we go. Out on the full from France...

Chris Paterson
Former Scotland international on BBC One

I am really looking forward to seeing this France team, they are very exciting and Scotland will have to be at their best.

Anthems time. La Marseillaise really is a belter of a tune. The players' rendition is almost as emotional as the version from Casablanca...

Scotland and France have kicked the ball more than anyone else in the tournament so far.

Bad weather was a factor in Scotland's first two matches.

It's dry and mild for February in Edinburgh but the wind is getting up.

Will we see more ball in hand from Scotland today?

Here come Scotland. Dry ice, flames and fireworks... A mighty roar from the Murrayfield crowd.

The French lads are out for a pre-game huddle. A huge cheer goes up from the thousands of travelling fans inside the stadium.

Martin Johnson
Former England captain and coach on BBC One

To beat this French team, Russell, Hogg and Price really need to play well, lead and make good decisions. It will be a huge performance for them to get a win today.

It has to be said the French have had a tendency to hit the self-destruct button in some of those losses Scotland.

Last year, Scotland picked up their first win in Paris since 1999 when Duhan van der Merwe plunged in for an 85th-minute try for the 14-man visitors.

Not only did Baptiste Serin follow Finn Russell into the sin-bin late on but France had the chance to end the game at 23-20 up as Brice Dulin chose not to kick into touch. An odd decision, given all hope of the huge margin of victory required for the title had long passed.

A first-half red card for Mohamed Haouas let Scotland seize control at Murrayfield in 2020.

Image source, SNS

This build-up is starting to sound ominous for Scotland, so let's focus on some positives for the hosts.

France have not won in the Six Nations at Murrayfield since 2014.

Scotland have won four of the last six meetings in this tournament.

Former Scotland back-row Johnnie Beattie, who played with Montpellier, Castres and Bayonne, was on the BBC Radio Scotland Rugby Breakfast Show earlier, using the term bête noire to describe the recent relationship.

Image source, SNS

Discipline has been an issue for Scotland - and it proved costly in Cardiff.

Scotland top the offender charts in the tournament, having conceded 13 penalties against Wales - nine of them at the breakdown - and 13 against England - seven at the breakdown.

Another repeat of those figures probably isn't going to cut it today.

Shabby: On the subject of expanding the 6 nations, why not have 2 leagues of 4, playing home and away with 1 place relegation/promotion? Keep it European but would help the so called lesser teams improve and remove home advantage

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend speaking to BBC One: "It is a very tough challenge, playing arguably the second best team in world rugby now but it’s a challenge I am sure the players will rise to.

"We have to trust our systems in attack and defence, not give away penalties and be accurate in attack and defence.

"It’s a great opportunity like Rory (Darge) and Andy (Christie), they are in this squad for a reason and they play top quality rugby for their clubs week in, week out. They have good players around them and they will help them to go well."

Image source, SNS

The headliner in the galaxy of French stars is undoubtedly Antoine Dupont.

The 25-year-old scrum-half is the current world player of the year and he runs the show with his canny kicking and speed of thought.

The 5ft, 9in captain is also tough as teak and scored his 11th try in 37 internationals in the win over Ireland last time out.

Image source, SNS

John Barclay
Former Scotland captain on BBC One

You expect an emotional reaction. That was one of Scotland’s poorest performances since the 2019 World Cup, they did not perform on the day.