By Staff Reporter (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Nov 14, 2013 12:04 AM EST
Tags Soccer

France will head to the Ukraine with a huge chance to put the contest away before heading home next week. Here are a few reasons why the French will win the first leg of this World Cup qualifier.

Franck Ribery

The Bayern Munich winger is in the best form of his career and is a top contender for the Ballon d'Or. He was a major reason for France's solid campaign in the group stage and scored five goals in eight matches; no other player in the entire group had more goals than the Frenchman. His speed down the flanks is virtually unstoppable and will give Ukraine a challenge it has not faced in any qualifier thus far.

Depth

Many are calling this one of the worst French teams in recent history, but this is a team that went head to head with Spain and managed a 1-1 draw through pure determination and a solid game plan. A number of Frenchman struggled throughout the group stage, but have all found their form for their respective clubs. Karim Benzema is on fire for Real Madrid while Samir Nasri is playing the best he has ever played for Manchester City. Paul Pogba has also been terrific for Juventus. Throw in Olivier Giroud's revelatory season for Arsenal and the offense of this French side should give the otherwise solid Ukrainian defense a massive scare.

History Is on Les Bleues' Side

Many might say that looking at past statistics is a pointless exercise that has little bearing on the current matchup. While there is some validity to that argument it is impossible to overlook the fact that France has dominated the Ukraine in the seven matches between the two sides; Les Bleues hold a record of four wins and three draws against Ukraine. The Ukrainians have never beaten France. Moreover, five of the seven games have been in competitions; France has won two and drawn three times in these contests. Ukraine has only scored three times in seven games against France. The teams recently met in the Euro 2012 and France managed a 2-0 win in the group stage. These statistics could mean little, but these Frenchman are likely confident knowing that they have Ukraine's number and defeated them a year ago.

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