France and Italy will renew one of European football’s most historic rivalries when they meet at the Stade de France on Friday in a crucial UEFA Nations League League A Group 1 encounter.
France have made an excellent start to life under Zinedine Zidane, winning both of their matches away from home. Les Bleus began with a narrow 1-0 victory over Turkey in Kocaeli, with Kylian Mbappe scoring the decisive goal.
They followed that up with another victory over Belgium on Monday. Zidane made several changes to his starting XI, but France still created enough opportunities to strike the woodwork twice before substitute Michael Olise eventually found the winner. The result extended France’s winning run against Belgium to seven matches and left them top of Group 1 with six points.
Italy, meanwhile, responded emphatically to their disappointing 2-0 defeat against Belgium by producing an impressive 4-1 victory over Turkey in Bursa.
Roberto Mancini’s second spell as Italy boss began with frustration in Rome, but his team showed a much-improved attacking display against Turkey.
France and Italy have enjoyed a competitive rivalry in recent years, with both sides winning away from home in their last Nations League campaign. France currently lead the head-to-head record 4-2 since Italy’s victory in the 2006 World Cup final.
Zidane will now return to Paris for his first home match as France coach, while Mancini will hope his rejuvenated Italy side can maintain their momentum.
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With France facing four competitive fixtures in just 11 days, Zidane could once again rotate his squad against Italy.
The French boss made significant changes for the victory over Belgium, with only goalkeeper Mike Maignan and Maxence Lacroix retaining their places from the previous starting XI.
France remain without Ibrahima Konate and William Saliba, leaving Jeremy Jacquet to partner Lacroix in central defence. Andy Diouf and Lucas Da Cunha also made their international debuts during the win over Belgium and could remain involved.
Mbappe remains unavailable after suffering a knee injury while scoring against Turkey. Esteban Lepaul led the line against Belgium, but Ousmane Dembele could return to the starting XI against Italy.
Italy will arrive with renewed confidence following their convincing win in Turkey.
Pio Esposito scored his sixth goal in only 11 international appearances in the victory and started alongside his brother Sebastiano. However, Mancini has several options available in attack.
Mateo Retegui was not selected for this international window, while Giacomo Raspadori has since suffered an injury. Moise Kean and Gianluca Scamacca are therefore competing with the Esposito brothers for starting roles.
Mancini initially selected a 34-man squad, with 10 players left out of the team that defeated Turkey. Nicolo Barella, Honest Ahanor and Gianluca Mancini are among those who could return to contention for Friday’s contest.
Possible lineups
France possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Kalulu, Upamecano, Lacroix, Truffert; Cherki, Kone, Rabiot; Olise, Dembele, Doue
Italy possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Kayode, Mancini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Barella, Fagioli, Tonali; S. Esposito, P. Esposito, Cambiaghi
How to Watch
| Platform | Details |
|---|---|
| TV Broadcast | SuperSport |
| Live Stream | dstv stream |
| Kick-off Time | 19:45pm(WAT) |
Match Prediction
Softfootball predicts France 2-1 Italy. This should be one of the most competitive fixtures of the Nations League round, with both teams arriving after impressive victories.
France have home advantage and the confidence of two wins under Zidane, but the absence of Mbappe removes a major attacking threat. Italy, meanwhile, showed against Turkey that they possess enough attacking quality to punish defensive mistakes.
