France hosts bottom-placed Azerbaijan at the Parc des Princes on Friday evening.
Les Bleus are aiming to maintain their perfect start to World Cup qualification as they sit top of Group D, while the visitors are still searching for their first win in the campaign.
France vs Azerbaijan – Match Preview and Team News
- Date: 10th October, Friday.
- Kick-off: 7:45pm BST.
- Venue: Parc Des Princes, Paris.
France Team News
Didier Deschamps has been forced into several changes for this fixture, with key players missing through injury and suspension. Kylian Mbappe travelled with the squad despite nursing a minor ankle injury sustained during Real Madrid’s victory over Villarreal. France’s head coach confirmed the issue is “not serious” and expects the Real Madrid star to feature.
Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended following his red card against Iceland in France’s previous qualifier. Adrien Rabiot is expected to replace the Real Madrid midfielder in the starting lineup, alongside Manu Kone.
Several attacking talents are unavailable due to injury. Ousmane Dembele, fresh from his Ballon d’Or triumph, misses out with an injury concern. Bradley Barcola was initially called up but withdrew due to a right hamstring injury and has been replaced by veteran winger Florian Thauvin. Marcus Thuram is also sidelined through injury.
Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has earned his first international call-up at 28 and could make his debut. Christopher Nkunku, now at AC Milan, returns to the squad after an extended absence.
Azerbaijan Team News
Azerbaijan travel to Paris without a competitive victory since November 2023 and have failed to win any of their last 12 matches across all competitions. Head coach Aykhan Abbasov continues in his temporary role following Fernando Santos’ departure.
The visitors have no fresh injury concerns and are expected to field their strongest available lineup. Renat Dadashov and Mahir Emreli will lead the attack, having scored 10 goals between them for the national team. Captain Emin Mahmudov, Azerbaijan’s leading scorer with 15 international goals, will anchor the midfield.
Shakhruddin Magomedaliyev is set to start in goal, with Azerbaijan likely to deploy a defensive five-man backline to contain France’s attacking threats.
Form
France
Deschamps’ side has made an impressive start to their World Cup qualifying campaign with victories over Ukraine (2-0) and Iceland (2-1). The Iceland match required a comeback after falling behind, with Mbappe and Barcola scoring to secure the points.
Les Bleus have reached consecutive World Cup finals and remain one of the most formidable teams in international football.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan’s qualifying campaign began disastrously with a 5-0 defeat to Iceland, before managing to salvage a 1-1 draw against Ukraine thanks to Emin Mahmudov’s penalty. They currently sit bottom of Group D with just one point from two matches.
The team has struggled significantly under various management changes. Their last competitive win came against Sweden in November 2023.
Predicted Lineups
France: Maignan; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Rabiot, Kone; Coman, Olise, Ekitike; Mbappe.
Azerbaijan: Mahammadaliyev; Dashdamirov, Badalov, Mustafazada, Krivotsyuk, Aliyev; Khaybulaev, Mahmudov, Nuriiev; Emreli, Dadashov.
How to Watch France vs Azerbaijan?
France vs Azerbaijan will be shown live in the UK on Amazon Prime PPV.
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