France vs Azerbaijan: Can Les Bleus Secure Another Win?
On Friday, October 10, the French national team will face Azerbaijan in a 2026 World Cup qualifier. The match kicks off at 20:45 CET, and here’s my take on this fixture.
France vs Azerbaijan: Match Preview
France are the clear favorites in their group and are already close to securing an early ticket to the World Cup. Les Bleus began their campaign with a comfortable 2–0 win over Ukraine, but their second outing against Iceland proved to be far more dramatic. They conceded first, equalized early in the second half, then went down to ten men and looked set to drop points after a late Icelandic goal — only for VAR to rule it out due to a foul. France eventually held on to win 2–1, collecting six points from their opening two matches.
Azerbaijan, meanwhile, kicked off their qualification campaign in chaotic fashion. They were thrashed 0–5 by Iceland in their opening match, prompting the federation to sack head coach Fernando Santos. Abbasov was appointed interim manager, and his debut went much better — Azerbaijan managed to snatch a 1–1 draw at home against Ukraine. With one point from two matches, the team currently sits at the bottom of the group.
Match Facts and Head-to-Head
• France have won their last three matches.
• Les Bleus have scored in each of their past five games.
• Azerbaijan have failed to keep a clean sheet in seven of their last eight matches.
• France and Azerbaijan have met twice in history — France won 2–0 in one match and 10–0 in the other.
Probable Lineups
- France: Maignan; Koundé, Saliba, Upamecano, T. Hernández; Rabiot, Koné; Coman, Olise, Ékitiké; Mbappé
- Azerbaijan: Mahammadaliyev; Dashdamirov, Badalov, Mustafazade, Krivotsyuk, Aliyev; Khaybulayev, Mahmudov, Nuriyev; Emreli, Dadashov
Prediction
France are overwhelming favorites in this encounter, and the best value bet appears to be on Les Bleus’ individual total over 3.5 goals.
