3 Key Factors to Consider, Lineup Predictions, Injuries

France vs Ukraine will be a tense match in the fifth match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying group stage, as the two teams compete for the top position in the group for the opportunity to get closer to securing a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup match in the upcoming meeting on Thursday, November 13.

The France vs Ukraine match is set to be a very entertaining match as both teams look to display some thrilling football to please their fans and also move closer to securing the top spot in Group D. The prospect of achieving World Cup qualification will make this France vs Ukraine match a very dramatic battle.

Match Details

Prince’s Park
Paris, France
Thursday, November 13
19:45 GMT

High-flying France face a tough test against unpredictable Ukraine in a crucial World Cup Qualifier

The France vs Ukraine match should be quite an important match because of how well these two teams have performed in the group stages of the World Cup so far.

France have collected 10 points from four games in their World Cup qualifying group so far and are top of their group, but have just three points behind second-placed Ukraine – who have seven points from their four games so far.

France are strong favorites to win their group and book a place to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but they cannot take the match against Ukraine lightly. They will need to be at their best to see off the Ukrainian side and get a dominant win that could strengthen their chances of reaching the World Cup as soon as possible.

The French side actually has a pretty good record against Ukraine. They have won three of the last five meetings against Ukraine and have lost only once in 13 meetings against Ukrainian teams in competitive matches. Didier Deschamps aims to ensure this good record can continue and his team can achieve another exciting win over Ukraine on the international stage.

Can Kylian Mbappe Rediscover His Spirit Against Ukraine?

Kylian Mbappe has experienced several hiccups in his impressive start to the 2025/26 season with Real Madrid, as he failed to score in their last two games, including defeat to Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.

The Frenchman has scored 18 goals in 16 appearances for the Spanish giants, but his inability to score in two games has led to some criticism towards him. Mbappe is determined to silence his doubts with a proactive and clinical performance in the France vs Ukraine match.

He currently has 53 goals for France and is also eager to get closer to becoming France’s all-time top scorer. The Real Madrid star will look to use his speed and unpredictable movement to get past the Ukrainian defence, and will need to be ruthless in finishing his chances to seal a big win for France.

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Ruslan Malinovskyi Wants To Help Pop Surprise Results Against France

With Ukraine missing several key players due to injury, they will need their proactive midfielder, Ruslan Malinovskyi, to be at his best against France. Malinovskyi has scored three goals in the last two games for Ukraine and has been a driving force in their World Cup qualifying campaign so far.

The 32-year-old has only scored once for Genoa in Serie A this season, but that also came in the recent 2-1 win over Sassuolo. He appears to have momentum on his side, and the proactive midfielder will need to be smart in his off-the-ball movements and get into the right areas to surprise the French players and finish chances clinically to guide Ukraine to a big result.

France vs Ukraine Injuries

French injury: God’s Will, Ousmane Demble, Chuameni, Adrien Rabiot

Ukrainian injury: Arseniy Batahov, Artem Dovbyk (doubtful), Volodymyr Brazhko

France vs Ukraine Lineup Prediction

Knowing the importance of this match, both Didier Deschamps and Sergiy Rebrov will be determined to field their strongest team. Here, we look at the predicted line-ups for France vs Ukraine:

France estimates XI: Mike Maignan, Malo Gusto, William Lintasa, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Digne, Manu Kone, Eduardo Camavinga, Michael Olise, Ryan Cherki, Bradley Barcola, Kylian Mbappe

Ukraine estimates XI: Anatoliy Trubin, Bohdan Mykhaylichenko, Illia Zabarnyi, Mykola Matviyenko, Vitaly Mykolenko, Yehor Yamoliuk, Oleh Ocherto, Ruslan Malinovsky, Oleksiy Hutsulyak, Nazar Voloshyn, Roman Yaremchuk

Main Photo

Credit: IMAGO SPORTS / PRESS

Recording Date: 11.11.2025