The host nation will begin as the underdogs, with their opponents having won the women's team tennis title four times in the last five years.

The French squad will be seeking to earn their first triumph since 2003 and third in total, with their team recently bolstered by the availability of Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia.

Both players were suspended by the French Tennis Federation for their behaviour at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, after they were highly critical of the governing body following their first round defeat in the women’s doubles competition.

Having been seeded second for the tournament their exit came as a surprise, but Mladenovic and Garcia blamed a mix-up over their clothing for the loss, with claims they had faced disqualification after being given different coloured outfits.

The pair were hit with a suspension for their response to the incident, but the Federation have since lifted the sanction, allowing the duo to return to compete for the nation.

Mladenovic will open proceedings tomorrow when she takes on the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova, who recently played at the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Finals in Singapore.

The second tie of the opening day of competition will see Garcia meet Petra Kvitova.

"I am very excited about this tie," said Mladenovic.

"Karolina and I played each other when I was 11 and she was 12.

"Facing each other now in the Fed Cup Final is something that is very big.

"We are very good friends off the court, so it should be an exciting and intriguing match for both of us."

The third and fourth singles rubbers will take place on Sunday (November 13), while a doubles clash could also be required if the scores are level.

Garcia and Mladenovic could potentially link up in the event of a doubles match, with the duo having triumphed at this year’s French Open.