Soccer
Prediction: France to win 4-1
Best Odds: 11/1
Azerbaijan and France will lock horns with each other in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification this weekend. The UEFA Group D game between Aykhan Abbasov’s side and Didier Deschamps’s team will be held at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku and is scheduled to kick off at 5pm UK time on Sunday.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan do not have a rich history in football and do not tend to qualify for major competitions. They do not have world-class players and are simply there to make up the numbers in qualifying groups. It is harsh but true.
Aykhan Abbasov’s side are at the foot of UEFA Group D at the moment with just a point from five matches. Azerbaijan have already been eliminated from the qualification process and will not be able to even get to the play-offs.
Azerbaijan will head into the World Cup qualifier against France this weekend on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Iceland. It came after defeats to Ukraine and France in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in October.
Team News:
Azerbaijan are likely to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation against France. Aydin Bayramov will be in goal for the home team and will have Elvin Badalov, Bahlul Mustafazada and Anton Krivotsyuk in front of him in defence. Abbas Huseynov, Emin Makhmudov, Abdulakh Khaybulaev and Rufat Abbasov will be the four midfielders. Toral Bayramov and Khayal Aliyev will be the two attacking midfielders. Nariman Akhundzade will lead the line for Azerbaijan.
France
France are one of the biggest and most historic footballing nations. They are used to winning major honours and are always expected to qualify for major international competitions with ease.
Les Bleus have won four of their five 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group D games and have booked their place in the finals. France have already won the group with 13 points from five games.
France beat Ukraine 4-0 at Parc des Princes in Paris in the FIFA World Cup Qualifying this week to ascertain their place in the finals. Manager Didier Deschamps said: “It is a new format, with more teams, an extra match, and quite a few complications over there.
“We have already thought about it quite a bit with the staff, and we’ll have answers on 5th December.
“We have ambition, but we have to take it step by step, with strange weather conditions.
“We’ll have to consider the timings, recovery periods in between matches, and we’ll have to go into depth on all of that. But we are going there with ambition.”
Team News:
France are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Mike Maignan will be in goal for the visiting team. Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Digne will be the four defenders. N’Golo Kante and Manu Kone will be the two holding midfielders. Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki and Bradley Barcola will be the three attacking midfielders. Hugo Ekitike will lead the line for France.
Key Factors to Consider
- Azerbaijan have scored 2 goals in 5 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
- Azerbaijan have conceded 13 goals in 5 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
- France have scored 13 goals in 5 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
- France have conceded 3 goals in 5 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
- Kylian Mbappe of France is the top scorer in the group with 5 goals.
Conclusion
It is hard to see Azerbaijan get anything from the match against France, who should pick up all three points with ease.
Prediction: France to win 4-1
Best Odds: 11/1
Read MoreJamie Jones