Ukraine vs France live stream, Sky Sports, Saturday 4 September, 7:45pm BST
France will be looking to get their World Cup qualifying campaign back on track when they face Ukraine this weekend.
Didier Deschamps' side suffered an early exit from Euro 2020, crashing out in the round of 16 after a dramatic penalty shoot-out defeat by Switzerland. That was a major surprise, since les Bleus were the favourites to win the tournament before a ball had been kicked. Yet the evidence of their World Cup qualifying campaign suggests their disappointing performance at the European Championship was not an isolated incident.
France kicked things off with a 1-1 draw at home to Ukraine, before beating Kazakhstan 2-0 on the road. A narrow and unconvincing 1-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina followed in Sarajevo, before France were held to a 1-1 draw by the same opponents on Wednesday. Edin Dzeko gave the visitors to the Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg the lead, only for Antoine Griezmann to salvage a point for the world champions.
France are not in imminent danger of losing control of Group D, and they go into this game with a four-point lead over their upcoming opponents. Yet defeat in Kyiv is far from unthinkable, and France might start to look nervously over their shoulders if they do succumb to Ukraine.
The hosts will be weakened by the absence of Oleksandr Zinchenko, who is suspended after reaching the limit for yellow cards. Oleksandr Petrakov, who replaced Andriy Shevchenko as the manager after Euro 2020, will hand the 37-year-old goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov his 99th cap for the country.
Leo Dubois looks set to replace the suspended Jules Kounde in France's starting XI. Kylian Mbappe could miss out with a niggling calf problem, while Adrien Rabiot is expected to partner Paul Pogba in midfield. Hugo Lloris will make his 131st appearance for France as he closes in on Lilian Thuram's record of 142.
Kick-off is at 7:45pm BST and the game is being shown live on Sky Sports Premier League the UK.
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VPN guide
Use a VPN to watch Premier league football from outside your country
If you’re out of the country for a round of Premier League fixtures, then annoyingly your domestic on-demand services won’t work – the broadcaster knows where you are because of your IP address (boo!). You'll be blocked from watching it, which is not ideal if you’ve paid up for a subscription and still want to catch Steve Bruce’s extra-red face without resorting to illegal feeds you’ve found on Reddit.
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UK TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for UK subscribers
Sky Sports and BT Sport are the two main players once again, but Amazon also have a slice of the pie in 2021/22.
US TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for US subscribers
NBC Sports Group are the Premier League rights holders, with the Peacock Premium streaming platform showing even more than the 175 games it aired last season, with other matches split between NBCSN channel, CNBC and the over-the-air NBC broadcast channel. If you pick up a fuboTV subscription for the games not on Peacock Premium, you'll be able to watch every game.
Head back to our VPN advice so you can take advantage when you're out of the country.
Canada TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for Canadian subscribers
DAZN subscribers can watch every single Premier League game in 2021/22 – and it gets better. After a one-month free trial, you'll only have to pay a rolling $20-a-month fee, or make it an annual subscription of $150.
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Australia TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for Australian subscribers
Optus Sport are offering every game of the Premier League season for just $14.99/month for non-subscribers, which you can get via a Fetch TV box and other friendly streaming devices.
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New Zealand TV rights
How to watch a Premier League live stream for New Zealand subscribers
Spark Sport are serving up all 380 games – plus various highlights and magazine shows throughout the week, as well as the Champions League – for $24.99 a month, after a seven-day free trial.
It's also available via web browsers, Apple/Android devices, Google Chromecast and some Samsung TVs, and Apple TV and Smart TV compatibility new for this season.
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