Missing Players and team news:
Fulham loanee Alphonse Areola has earned a recall to the national team after his solid performances at Craven Cottage, but Hugo Lloris is in no danger of losing his place in goal, as three caps this month would see him go level with Thierry Henry in the all-time appearances list. Paul Pogba has also joined up with the team despite his well-documented struggles at Manchester United, and the 28-year-old is expected to start here, but Alexandre Lacazette has been overlooked once again. Deschamps has not called on any uncapped players for this month’s qualifiers – a statement of intent from the experienced coach – while Olivier Giroud and Anthony Martial seem set for spots up front after Mbappe came off early against Lyon with a minor problem. Ukraine and Shevchenko should line up in their customary 4-3-3 formation, with veteran goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov set to earn his 97th cap for the national team at the Stade de France. Viktor Tsygankov scored his side’s consolation goal in their 7-1 humiliation against France last year, but the Dynamo Kiev man will not take part this month due to injury, while experienced midfielder Taras Stepanenko has also failed to make the cut with a muscle problem of his own. West Ham United’s Andriy Yarmolenko – who sits second behind Shevchenko in the all-time goalscoring charts – will be joining up with the team despite his injury, but he may not be risked from the off.
