France coach Didier Deschamps has said that Olivier Giroud is "not a robot" and has been hurt by criticism, but has backed the striker to cope with the pressure of Euro 2016.

Host nation France will get the competition under way when they play Romania at the Stade de France in their opening Group A fixture on Friday.

Giroud, 29, is likely to be the main striker for Les Bleus in that game but he was booed by some supporters during their recent 3-2 friendly win over Cameroon.

The Arsenal man scored in that match as well as hitting a brace in France's last warm-up game -- a 3-0 win against Scotland.

Giroud felt obliged to defend his record ahead of Euro 2016 and Deschamps says that the criticism has had an impact on the player.

"Olivier is not a robot but a human being," Deschamps told L'Equipe. "He has people [family] around him. When there are nice things, it does him good and when it's not nice, it affects him.

"'Olive' knows the faith that I have in him -- what I expect of him. He has the character and the personality to get there. You can say what you like, [but] he scores goals. He's just had his best season at Arsenal in terms of efficiency."

Olivier Giroud has scored three goals in his last two games for France. FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

Deschamps also said he is not worried that the weight of expectation will prove too much for his squad as they look to replicate the feats of previous French teams that won the 1984 European Championship and the 1998 World Cup on home soil.

Deschamps, who was captain of the 1998 team, said that some of the current generation would feel the pressure more than others.

But the former Monaco, Juventus and Marseille boss maintains that the huge support the team has been getting makes it a "very favourable environment" to play in.

"They play for big teams," he said. "The context is not unknown to them. It's just that everything is multiplied because it's the French team and the Euros in France. But honestly, to feel this love, this support, it can only be a plus. It can only allow them to excel."