Sun Nov 16 16:50:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text, followed by a rewritten news article based on that summary:

Summary:

France, already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, faces Azerbaijan in their final Group D qualifier. Azerbaijan is struggling badly, sitting at the bottom of the group with a long winless streak and a weak offense and defense. France is likely to rotate their squad, giving opportunities to players like Ekitike. Experts predict a comfortable French victory, potentially by a three-goal margin, given Azerbaijan’s porous defense. However, there’s a chance the rotated squad could struggle initially. A cautious betting strategy might involve covering multiple scorelines or focusing on the second half of the match.

News Article:

France Favored for Comfortable Win Against Struggling Azerbaijan in World Cup Qualifier

Baku, Azerbaijan – Already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, France faces Azerbaijan on Sunday in their final Group D qualifier in Baku. While the match holds little significance for Les Bleus in terms of qualification, experts are predicting a comfortable victory against a struggling Azerbaijani side.

Azerbaijan has had a disastrous qualifying campaign, currently sitting at the bottom of Group D with a 14-game winless streak. Their weak attack and leaky defense have led to numerous defeats, making them heavy underdogs in this fixture.

France, fresh off a 4-0 win against Ukraine, secured their World Cup spot and may use this opportunity to rotate their squad. Manager Didier Deschamps could give opportunities to players like Hugo Ekitike and N’Golo Kante.

Despite the likely squad rotation, analysts expect France to exploit Azerbaijan’s defensive vulnerabilities. While a slow start is possible due to squad unfamiliarity, the overall expectation is for a French win, potentially by a three-goal margin, as they achieved in the first leg of the qualifiers. However, the element of surprise may be on Azerbaijan’s side as the team tries to avoid defeat.

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