This Friday, the French national team will play Ukraine in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at 8:45 p.m. at the Stadion Miekski. Five Paris Saint-Germain players, all French, were involved in the match: Lucas Chevalier, Lucas Hernandez, Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé, and Bradley Barcola. L’Equipe announced on Thursday the likely lineup, with Dembélé likely to be sidelined.
“Ousmane Dembélé is not expected to start Friday night’s match against Ukraine (8:45 p.m.) in Wroclaw, Poland. As has been the case since the start of the training camp, the Parisian trained separately on Wednesday during the closed-door session in Clairefontaine and could rejoin the group on Thursday in Poland.
Mbappé
Barcola – Olise – Doué
Koné – Tchouaméni
Digne – Upamecano – Konaté – Koundé
Maignan.”
As for Dembélé, it seems impossible that he will start. Even playing in the match would not be prudent, as he will, at best, have one group training session. The French team has enough options to avoid taking any risks and wait for the second match on Tuesday against Iceland. Not to mention, of course, the importance of the players’ health.
As for the proposed team, it makes sense and we can assume that it will be at least very close to the starting lineup. Didier Deschamps has already confirmed the 4-2-3-1 formation, but we remain cautious about certain choices in the face of fierce competition. However, seeing Barcola and Doué on the wings, as at PSG, makes sense.
