Soccer: World Cup-Croatia vs France
Tim Groothuis

France starts their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign at home to Ukraine on Wednesday in the odd position of having not yet played the Euros. Les Bleus are the titleholders after their 2018 success in Russia and they also have the UEFA Nations League finals to look forward to after qualifying as League A Group 3 winners. These two met at Stade de France just a few months ago and Didier Deschamps' men won 7-1 with Olvier Giroud scoring twice.

Here is how you can watch the match and what to know:

Viewing information

  • Date: Wednesday, Mar. 24 | Time: 03:45 p.m. ET
  • Location: Stade de France -- Paris, France
  • TV and live stream: ESPN+
  • Odds: France -450; Draw +480; Ukraine +1200 (via William Hill Sportsbook)

Storylines

France:

Kylian Mbappe is available for selection despite a knock over the weekend as he scored twice in Paris Saint-Germain's 4-2 victory over Olympique Lyonnais in Ligue 1. Manchester United's Paul Pogba is present in the squad as is Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele who has earned a recall due to his good recent performances. Tanguy Ndombele, Thomas Lemar and Alphonse Areola are also back while Eduardo Camavinga and Houssem Aouar are on under-21 duty with the Euros coming up.

Ukraine:

Four losses from five across all competitions and a disastrous end to League A Group 4 in the Nations League makes this a tough spell for Andriy Shevchencko and his players. With Bosnia-Herzegovina and an improving Finland also in the same World Cup qualifying Group D from the UEFA region, the fight to finish behind France promises to be strong.

Prediction

The French to get off to a winning start in comfortable fashion. Pick: France 3-0 Ukraine.