France will be looking to secure the top spot in Group D and book their place at the World Cup with a win over Ukraine on Thursday night.
Ukraine will be looking to cause an upset when they hit the road to square up against France. A win here could significantly boost their chances of securing a top-two spot in the group. Meanwhile, Les Bleus will be looking to keep their unbeaten run intact and book their spot in North America for next summer.
The home team are top of Group D with ten points in their four outings thus far. While they won each of their first three outings, Les Bleus could only manage a draw away from home against Iceland last time out.
While France did dominate the ball and create quite a few chances, they were far from their best. They will be looking to return to winning ways when they host Ukraine. A win here will be enough to send Didier Deschamps’s men to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Meanwhile, Ukraine are second in Group D with seven points in their four outings. Since losing 2-0 to France on Matchday 1, they have been unbeaten in their last three outings. The visitors secured an important 2-1 win over Azerbaijan in their last outing.
A positive result here against France could go a long way in helping Ukraine secure a spot at the World Cup. As a result, they will certainly give it their all. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
France
The home team remain without the services of Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni, Ousmane Dembele, and Desire Doue for this international break. Meanwhile, Randal Kolo Muani has withdrawn from the squad because of a jaw injury.
Didier Deschamps has decided to recall N’Golo Kante for this round of fixtures. His team will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Mike Maignan will be in goal. Jules Kounde and Lucas Digne will be the full-backs, while William Saliba should partner Dayot Upamecano in the heart of the defence.
The back four will be protected by Manu Kone and Kante, who will form the double pivot in the middle of the park. They will look to control the tempo of the game. Michael Olise will feature in the number ten role, while Bradley Barcola and Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe should feature on the flanks, as has been suggested for Real Madrid. Jean-Philippe Mateta could be the one leading the line for them.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, Digne; Kone, Kante; Barcola, Olise, Mbappe; Mateta
Ukraine
The visitors will be without the services of Artem Dovbyk and Volodymyr Brazhko for this round of fixtures. Against France, Ukraine will also line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Anatoliy Trubin should continue in goal.
Yukhym Konoplya and Vitaliy Mykolenko could feature as the full-backs, while Illia Zabarnyi should partner Mykola Matviyenko in the heart of the defence. As for the midfield unit, Mykola Shaparenko and Ruslan Malinovskyi will form the double pivot. The duo will have a lot of defending to do.
Oleh Ocheretko should feature in the number ten role, with Roman Yaremchuk and Nazar Voloshyn taking charge on the flanks. With Dovbyk unavailable, Vladyslav Vanat could be lead the line for Ukraine against France on Thursday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Trubin; Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Mykolenko; Shaparenko, Malinovskyi; Yaremchuk, Ocheretko, Voloshyn; Vanat
Key Stats
- Since their defeat against Spain in the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League, France have been unbeaten in all their five outings (W4 D1).
- Les Bleus have won four out of their last five home games.
- Since losing to France on Matchday 1, Ukraine have been unbeaten in their last three outings.
- Ukraine will be eyeing their fifth win of the calendar year when they face France at Parc des Princes on Thursday night.
- Even a draw in this fixture could guarantee the visitors a play-off spot to make it to the World Cup.
Player to Watch
Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe was forced to withdraw midway through the last international break because of injury, but he is fully fit and available for this round of fixtures. Given the kind of form he has been in, the skipper will certainly be the biggest threat for the visitors.
The Real Madrid star has 18 goals and two assists in his 16 outings this term, and given his track record, it will not be much of a surprise if he finds the back of the net here. With a few of their key forwards unavailable, Les Bleus will be hoping their captain helps them claim all three points in this fixture.
Prediction
France 3-1 Ukraine
France will be determined to seal their place at next summer’s World Cup when they host Ukraine at Parc des Princes on Thursday night. Didier Deschamps’s men dropped points against Iceland last time out and will be eager to produce a much-improved display in front of their home fans. With Kylian Mbappe back fit and in red-hot form, Les Bleus will fancy their chances of breaking down a resilient Ukrainian side.
Ukraine, meanwhile, will be looking to pull off a major upset and strengthen their bid for a top-two finish. The away side have been unbeaten since their defeat to France on Matchday 1, and they will take confidence from their recent victory over Azerbaijan. However, facing a star-studded French side away from home is a completely different challenge. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the home team.
