France vs Italy – News and Probable Lineups

On Friday, two iconic football nations will clash as familiar rivals França and Itália meet for a UEFA Nations League showdown in Paris.

Following their respective victories in their second matches earlier in the week, both teams are set to continue their campaigns in League A Group 1 at Stade de França, where the coach of the home side aims for a successful comeback.

Match overview

With two victories in their initial away matches, Zinedine Zidane’s tenure as França head coach has gotten off to an impressive start.

Les Bleus first secured a 1-0 win against Turquia in Kocaeli, thanks to a second-half goal from their captain Kylian Mbappe, and they subsequently collected three points with a win in Brussels on Monday night.

Despite Zidane implementing several changes – and his revamped squad hitting the woodwork twice – Michael Olise, coming off the bench, clinched another French triumph over Bélgica.

França has maintained a streak of seven consecutive victories against their neighboring rivals, positioning them at the top of Group 1 with a perfect six points.

Now with two home fixtures ahead, Zidane is expected to receive a warm welcome in Paris, where he will ideally take on Itália on Friday night: “Zizou” enjoyed a five-year illustrious playing career at Juventus.

In the previous Nations League, both teams secured 3-1 wins on the road, however, França holds a 4-2 advantage in their head-to-head encounters since Itália’s notorious victory in the 2006 World Cup final – which marked Zidane’s last game as a player.

While his French counterpart has long awaited the opportunity to step into the top position, Roberto Mancini is given another chance to guide the Azzurri.

The head coach, who led his team to triumph at Euro 2020, started his second term as national team coach with a disappointing 2-0 loss at home to Bélgica, but his rejuvenated squad bounced back with a convincing 4-1 win against Turquia on Monday.

Itália came out strong in Bursa, with goals from Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi, and Michael Kayode providing a three-goal lead by half-time, where Kayode made a notable entrance on his first start.

Continuing an impressive start to his international career, Kayode’s old Under-21 teammate Pio Esposito soon added another goal, shortly after the hosts found the net.

Having started to find their form, Mancini must keep driving progress toward the upcoming Euros through this Nations League campaign, following the disappointment of the最近 World Cup qualifying campaign for Itália.

After a brief return to their training base, La Nazionale will make their way to the French capital before finishing a hectic schedule with a home game against Turquia three days later.

Team News

With four competitive matches arriving within just 11 days, Zidane may opt to implement further alterations, as only Mike Maignan and Maxence Lacroix retained their positions from last time.

With Ibrahima Konate and William Saliba sidelined, Jeremy Jacquet partnered Lacroix in the center of defense, while two players based in Itália, Andy Diouf and Lucas Da Cunha, were also handed their debuts.

Following an injury sustained while netting the winner against Turquia, Mbappe was replaced on Monday by Esteban Lepaul; however, Rennes forward could make way for Ousmane Dembele.

Meanwhile, Pio Esposito, representing Inter de Milão, netted his sixth goal in 11 international outings by scoring the fourth against Turquia after starting alongside his brother Sebastiano.

With Mateo Retegui excluded from the squad, Moise Kean and Gianluca Scamacca will contest once more alongside the Espositos for a starting position.

Mancini initially named a 34-man squad for this camp, but 10 players were left at home after Monday’s match; now, Nicolo Barella, Honest Ahanor, and Gianluca Mancini are among those eligible for selection again.

França probable starting XI:

Cousins; Kalulu, Upamecano, Lacroix, Truffert; Cherki, Kone, Rabiot; Olise, Dembele, God

Itália probable starting XI:

Donnarumma; Kayode, Mancini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Barella, Fagioli, Tonali; Raspadori, P. Esposito, Cambiaghi

Despite Itália displaying greater dynamism and cohesion in their second Group 1 fixture, they are now faced with a considerable increase in challenge.

França may have narrowly secured victories thus far, but the Zidane era is showing promise, and even without Mbappe, they possess the tactical knowledge to outmaneuver the Azzurri’s shaky defense.