France Begin Zidane Era Against Turkey in Nations League Clash

France will begin a new era under Zinedine Zidane when they travel to face Turkey in the UEFA Nations League on Friday night.

Contents

Team News
Possible Lineups
How to Watch
Match Prediction

Zidane has taken charge of Les Bleus following the departure of long-serving head coach Didier Deschamps, who was unable to guide France to World Cup glory during his tenure. The former Real Madrid boss now faces the task of overseeing the next stage of France’s international development.

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France finished fourth at the 2026 World Cup after suffering a semi-final defeat to eventual champions Spain before losing 6-4 to England in the third-place playoff. As a result, they enter the Nations League following successive defeats.

Turkey endured a disappointing World Cup campaign. Vincenzo Montella’s side were competing at the tournament for the first time since 2002 but were eliminated in the group stage after defeats to Austria and Paraguay. They did, however, end their campaign with a victory over the United States.

The Crescent-Stars now face a difficult Nations League group alongside France, Italy and Belgium. Their schedule begins with consecutive home matches against France and Italy before away trips to Belgium and Italy in October.

France have enjoyed the better record in previous meetings, winning four of their six encounters with Turkey. The hosts have only defeated Les Bleus once, securing a 2-0 victory in a Euro 2020 qualifier in June 2019.

France previously won the Nations League in the 2020-21 campaign, defeating Spain in the final, while they finished third in the 2024-25 edition.

Team News

Turkey will be without two significant attacking and midfield options, with Hakan Calhanoglu and Kenan Yildiz ruled out through injury.

Their absences could lead to changes in Montella’s midfield and attack. Salih Ozcan is expected to benefit from Calhanoglu’s absence in the centre of the pitch, while Real Madrid’s Arda Guler remains available and should play an important role in the hosts’ attacking plans.

Baris Yilmaz is likely to operate through the middle, with Kerem Akturkoglu also expected to feature in the final third. Merih Demiral should provide experience at the heart of the Turkish defence.

France also have several absentees ahead of Zidane’s first competitive match. William Saliba is unavailable through injury, while Aurelien Tchouameni has been left out after experiencing fitness problems at the beginning of the campaign.

Ibrahima Konate has also withdrawn from the squad because of a knee problem, resulting in Manchester United defender Leny Yoro receiving a call-up.

Eduardo Camavinga could start in midfield, while Bournemouth’s Adrien Truffert may earn only his second senior international appearance at left-back.

Kylian Mbappe remains France’s main attacking threat after scoring 66 goals for his country. The captain is expected to lead the attack, with Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue also pushing for starting positions.