What if it was tonight? The France team has the opportunity to officially qualify for the 2026 World Cup when it hosts Ukraine at the Parc des Princes (8:45 p.m.). To see the United States, Mexico and Canada, there is only one way. We must win against the runners-up in Group D, with three points separating the two teams before kick-off. A draw would delay this formalization by a few days and the trip to Azerbaijan on Saturday. You might as well avoid a bad surprise and not relive the trauma of non-qualification for the last World Cup in the USA, that famous France-Bulgaria in November 1993 and Emil Kostadinov’s legendary goal at the Parc des Princes.
For this, Didier Deschamps, who was on the lawn of the Parc des Princes with the captain’s armband around his arm during this fiasco, has almost all his aces up his sleeve. Only the Parisians Ousmane DembĂ©lĂ© and DĂ©sirĂ© DouĂ© are missing, as are AurĂ©lien Tchouameni and his Madrid sidekick Eduardo Camavinga, ultimately forfeited for this gathering, replaced by Kephren Thuram. Mike Maignan will start at the base of this 4-3-3 where the defense should be made up from right to left of Jules KoundĂ©, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Digne. The double-pivot in midfield would be formed by N’golo KantĂ© and Manu KonĂ©, who is increasingly asserting himself in this team.
A tempting offensive quartet… on paper
The attacking quartet is full of promise with Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola on the sides. The Munich player is still blowing hot and cold in the selection, while the former Lyon player is going through a more complicated period, particularly on a physical level. Rayan Cherki could start in a number 10 role that he likes. Cityzen has not been seen with the blue jersey since the Nations League this summer. He will be scrutinized very closely, especially since he will be supporting Kylian Mbappé, his captain. The association of the two players is attractive on paper, but it still needs to materialize on the pitch. They would be well inspired to do it 7 months before the World Cup.
On the other hand, Ukraine will not play a role of foil. As we said above, a little hope still exists to steal the leadership position from the French team. Serhiy Rebrov will start his starting XI with Trubin in the team and a 4-man defense with Konaplya on the right and Mykolenko on the left. Zabarnyi, PSG’s struggling defender, will start as a hinge with Matviienko. In this 4-3-3, the middle line should be occupied by the trio Malinovskyi, Kaliuzhnyi, Sudakov. Finally, following Dovbyk’s withdrawal, Ukraine will rely on Voloshyn, Tsygankov and Vanat to try to take revenge on the last confrontation against the Blues, a 2-0 defeat last September.
