Ukraine vs. France: Date, Start Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

With Euro 2012 officially under way, all of Europe is now waiting anxiously to watch their teams play for a chance at winning the European Championship

One country that's undoubtedly very excited for the next stretch of games is Ukraine, as they are one of the hosts of this year's tournament along with Poland.

Ukraine will be taking on France in what's sure to be a great matchup. Ukraine is 1-0-0 in Group D play thus far, while France is 0-0-1 in Group D.

Here's all the information you'll need to get the most out of Friday's matchup.

Where: Donbass Arena, Donetsk, Ukraine

When: Friday, June 15 at 6 p.m. ET

Live Stream: Live Stream at ESPN3.com

TV/Radio Info: ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPN Radio, Sirius XM

Home Field Advantage

As I mentioned earlier, Ukraine is the co-host of this year's cup. This should give the Ukraine team a massive advantage in the contest. With Ukraine already leading Group D, they could really use the home support to grab a sizable lead in the group.

Road Warriors

France really need a victory against the Ukraine club, as they need to keep pace with the top club in their grouping. With a victory, France would take the lead over Ukraine in the group.

Players to Watch

For the Ukraine, fans should keep an eye on Andriy Shevcenko. He became a hero for Ukraine in their victory over Sweden, scoring two goals to give his team the advantage. He hopes to continue his strong scoring versus France. He'll be essential if the Ukraine wants to qualify for the next round of the tournament.

For France, Karim Benzema is the guy to watch. In international play last year, Benzema scored three goals and racked up three assists in nine games for France. He'll be an integral part of the France attack on Friday, and France need him to step up and play the game they know he is capable of.

Previous Matchups

France has dominated head-to-head play between the two teams, beating Ukraine 4-1 in a 2011 friendly and 2-0 in the 2007 Euro 2008 qualifier.

In their other meeting in 2007, the two teams played to a draw by a score of 2-2.

Prediction 

In the end, I predict Ukraine will come out on top 2-1. The home field advantage they will have in the contest will propel them to a decisive victory over the French.

With the home crowd on their side, proud of representing their nation as hosts of the Euros this year, Ukraine will play with a spirit and intensity that the French will not match.

Artem Milevsky and Serhiy Nazarenko will find the back of the net for Ukraine, while Olivier Giroud will score the lone goal for France.

It will be an exciting contest in Group D of Euro 2012, and Ukraine will most definitely come out on top.