Mon Oct 13 18:30:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the provided text, focusing on the upcoming Iceland vs. France World Cup Qualifier:

**Headline: France Favored but Iceland Poised to Challenge in World Cup Qualifier**

**Reykjavik, Iceland** – France is predicted to secure a victory against Iceland in their upcoming World Cup Qualifier on Monday, October 13th, despite facing injury woes and a historically competitive Icelandic side. The match is set to kick off at 7:45 PM local time.

While key players like Bradley Barcola, Marcus Thuram, and Ousmane Dembele are sidelined, France’s attack remains potent, spearheaded by Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, and Hugo Ekitike. France has scored nine goals after the break in their six games in 2025.

Iceland, while winless against France since 1957, have consistently proven to be a difficult opponent. Their matches often feature goals from both sides, with a history of close contests. The previous encounter saw France narrowly win 2-1. Moreover, both teams have scored in eight of their last ten clashes, and only three have been won by three or more goals.

“While France is the favorite on paper, Iceland has a history of making these matches competitive,” explains soccer analyst. “France needed a comeback and a penalty in recent games against Iceland, showing they’re not always an easy opponent to dominate.”

Iceland’s lineup boasts players like Gudjohnsen, and Haraldsson, who will be eager to find the net and disrupt the French defense at Laugardalsvöllur.

France, currently undefeated in their World Cup Qualifying campaign with wins already against Azerbaijan, seeks to maintain their momentum. Iceland, following a match against Ukraine, will be looking to build on a recent 5-goal performance against Azerbaijan and challenge Les Bleus.

**Predicted Lineups:**

* **Iceland:** Olafsson, Palsson, Ingason, Gretarsson, Tomasson, Thorsteinsson, Johannesson, Haraldsson, Anderson, A. Gudjohnsen, D. Gudjohnsen
* **France:** Maignan, Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, T. Hernandez, Rabiot, Kone, Coman, Olise, Ekitike, Mbappe

While France is expected to ultimately secure the win, a hard-fought and potentially high-scoring match is anticipated, with Iceland determined to prove their mettle.

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