Ukraine names squad for World Cup playoffs

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) Ukraine coach Mykhailo Fomenko has dropped injured midfielder Denis Harmash from the squad to face France in the World Cup playoffs.

Fomenko will instead rely on Anatoliy Tymoschuk and Ruslan Rotan to contend with France's Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi.

At the back, defenders Viacheslav Shevchuk and Yaroslav Rakytsky will team up with Yevhen Khacheridi and Artem Fedetsky. Also, forward Marko Devic will return and will be joined by wingers Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konopolyanka.

Ukraine finished second to England in its group and will host France on Nov. 15 in the first leg of the playoffs. The return leg is four days later.

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Ukraine:

Goalkeepers: Andriy Piatov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Maksym Koval (Dynamo Kiev), Rustam Khudzhamov (Illichivets Mariupol)

Defenders: Viacheslav Shevchuk (Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Kucher (Shakhtar Donetsk), Yaroslav Rakytsky (Shakhtar Donetsk), Yevhen Khacheridi (Dynamo Kiev), Vitaliy Mandziuk (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Artem Fedetsky (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)

Midfielders: Oleh Husiev (Dynamo Kiev), Andriy Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kiev), Roman Bezus (Dynamo Kiev), Serhiy Sydoruchuk (Dynamo Kiev), Yevhen Konoplyanka (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Ruslan Rotan (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Mykola Moroziuk (Metalurg Donetsk), Taras Stepanenko (Shakhtar Donetsk), Edmar Halovsky (Metalist Kharkiv), Denys Dedechko (Vorskla Poltava), Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (Zenit St. Petersburg), Dmytro Khomchenovsky (Zorya Luhansk), Valeriy Fedorchuk (Karapty Lviv)

Forwards: Yevhen Seleznyov (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Roman Zozulya (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Marko Devic (Metalist Kharkiv)