France vs Belgium – News and Probable Lineups

Zinedine Zidane aims for his first victory at home as the head coach of França, with Les Bleus ready to host Bélgica for the UEFA Nations League clash at Stade de França on Monday.

His squad was unable to achieve a third consecutive 1-0 victory against Itália on Friday, with Alessandro Bastoni netting an equaliser in a 1-1 draw, which leaves Les Bleus just one point above their matchday four opponents, who convincingly defeated Turkiye 3-0 in Liege.

Match overview

While França remains unbeaten since Zidane took the reins after their 1998 World Cup triumph, the three-time world champions have experienced a mixed beginning to their first three matches following Didier Deschamps’ departure.

A narrow 1-0 win over Turkiye marked Zidane’s debut, followed by a tighter victory over Bélgica last week — a noticeably improved performance — but Itália revealed some weaknesses in Les Bleus on Friday.

Although the French faced an inspired Gianluigi Donnarumma, Roberto Mancini’s squad merited at least a draw after a strong display in Paris, where they were bidding for a fifth consecutive win in competitive fixtures.

This draw puts an end to Les Bleus’ four-match winning streak in competitive play at home, which they will seek to resume against a team with whom they share a historical head-to-head record of 30 wins each.

However, França has emerged victorious in the last six encounters against their rivals for Monday, including a 1-0 win in Brussels in late September under Zidane.

Mark van Bommel will certainly be eager for the rapid rematch following the events from their last meeting, which was decided by Michael Olise’s late goal in the 88th minute when a draw appeared likely.

The Dutchman’s squad can take encouragement from having kept clean sheets against Itália and Turkiye either side of their setback against Les Bleus, as well as being close to achieving one against the star-studded French side until the dying minutes.

Guided by veteran Kevin De Bruyne in Liege on Friday, Van Bommel’s team netted three times for a comfortable 3-0 victory, though many fans will note Vincenzo Montella’s side had 23 shots compared to the Red Devils’ 17.

Nevertheless, eight of Turkiye’s 13 attempts in the second half came after De Bruyne had scored a second goal for Bélgica, highlighting how the state of play, thanks to the scoreboard, caused Montella’s side to commit more players forward.

Ultimately, securing the win was precisely what was needed, especially with França slipping up against Itália, affording the Red Devils a solid opportunity to surpass Les Bleus in League A Group 1 should they defeat Zidane’s team for the first time since June 2015.

Team News

Dayot Upamecano is serving a one-match suspension after receiving a second yellow card late in the game against Itália, allowing Chelsea centre-back Maxence Lacroix an opportunity to form a defensive partnership with Jeremy Jacquet, who both played together in the previous fixture.

Kylian Mbappe has withdrawn from the squad due to a knee injury sustained during the 1-0 victory over Turkiye on matchday one, but Zidane possesses an array of match-winning talent in his lineup.

One of these players is Olise, whose remarkable free-kick against the Azzurri was his second contribution in the Nations League this season, which accounted for 66.7% of Les Bleus’ three goals.

Ousmane Dembele leads the contingent of remaining talent, alongside Desire Doue, Rayan Cherki, Bradley Barcola, and Maghnes Akliouche.

Conversely, for the visiting side, either Romelu Lukaku or Charles De Ketelaere are expected to take on significant attacking duties for Van Bommel’s squad, with PSG summer recruit Mika Godts facing off against some of his club teammates.

The absence of De Bruyne or Youri Tielemans is a notable setback for Bélgica, as both received costly yellow cards against Turkiye, sidelining them for this match.

These omissions could see Chelsea’s Romeo Lavia earn a place in midfield, with Van Bommel potentially switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation or using Hans Vanaken in a trio alongside Nicolas Raskin and the Chelsea player.

França probable starting XI:

Cousins; Kalulu, Jacquet, Lacroix, Truffert; Cherki, Da Cunha, Camavinga; Olise, Dembele, God

Bélgica probable starting XI:

Lammens; Castagne, Ngoy, Mechele, De Cuyper; Lavia, Raskin; Lukebakio, Vanaken, Godts; De Ketelaere

Although Bélgica heads into Monday with boosted confidence following their demolition of Turkiye and will be eager to make amends for their recent loss in Brussels, overcoming França at Stade de França is still a daunting task.

With both De Bruyne and Tielemans suspended, Zidane’s squad should present too much attacking depth, even in Mbappe’s absence, to secure a narrow win and return to form.