France vs Italy: UEFA Nations League – Zidane, Olise, Esposito, teams, form

Who: France vs Italy
What: UEFA Nations League 2026-27, Group A1 match
Where: Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
When: Friday, October 2, astatine 8:45pm section clip (18:45 GMT)
How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport volition bring you each the build-up and unrecorded updates from 15:45 GMT.

It’s clip for Zinedine Zidane’s homecoming.

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Two-time satellite champions France look neighbours Italy successful Friday’s Nations League match, with Zidane taking complaint for the archetypal clip connected location soil.

Appointed successful precocious July arsenic successor to Didier Deschamps, ex-captain Zidane has guided France to back-to-back distant wins. Now helium has the accidental to implicit a hat-trick of victories successful beforehand of Les Bleus faithful.

Despite losing skipper Kylian Mbappe to injury, France person maintained their winning start, each acknowledgment to their squad extent and endowment crossed positions.

Like France, four-time World Cup winners Italy are besides managed by a erstwhile subordinate – Roberto Mancini – who is backmost successful the occupation for the 2nd time. Mancini’s archetypal crippled backmost successful complaint ended successful Roman jeers, but the Azzurri responded successful benignant with an emphatic triumph successful their 2nd game.

Friday’s lucifer is expected to beryllium played successful beforehand of what volition beryllium a sell-out assemblage of adjacent to 80,000 fans astatine the nationalist stadium northbound of Paris.

So, tin Italy physique connected their dazzling show oregon volition France springiness Zidane much reasons to rejoice?

Al Jazeera breaks down everything successful this lucifer preview:

What is the UEFA Nations League?

The UEFA Nations League was founded successful 2018 to trim the fig of meaningless friendlies and springiness nations competitory matches against top-ranked teams.

In this competition, countries from crossed Europe enactment successful a league operation which features promotion and relegation.

How person France and Italy played successful the Nations League?

France are connected apical of this radical with six points aft identical 1-0 wins implicit Turkiye and Belgium.

Italy, connected the different hand, are second-to-last with 3 points aft losing 2-0 to Belgium and thrashing Turkiye 4-1.

When did France and Italy past meet?

They past met successful a Nations League radical lucifer successful November 2024.

France defeated Italy 3-1 successful Milan then, with a treble from Adrien Rabiot and a Guglielmo Vicario ain goal. Andrea Cambiaso netted the consolation extremity for the Italians.

France vs Italy: Head-to-head

• Matches: 41
• France wins: 12
• Italy wins: 20
• Draws: 9

France vs Italy: Form guide

(Last 5 games, latest results first)

France: W-W-L-L-W

Italy: W-L-W-W-D

Who are the apical players to watch?

Michael Olise and Desire Doue (France): Olise’s outrageous decorativeness successful Monday’s Belgium crippled had Zidane going berserk connected the sideline. Such is his talent. He has been progressive successful some goals France scored successful this year’s Nations League and is besides enjoying a flying commencement astatine Bayern Munich this word with 8 goals and 4 assists. Doue, 21, is arsenic awesome – helium assisted Olise successful the past game, earning subordinate of the match.

Michael Olise of France celebrates scoring against Belgium successful the lucifer successful Brussels connected Monday [Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images]

Francesco Pio Esposito and Davide Frattesi (Italy): Pio Esposito not lone scored a extremity successful the past crippled but besides celebrated a saccharine spot of past – helium and his older member Sebastiano played against Turkiye, marking the archetypal clip 2 brothers started for Italy successful much than a century. Inter Milan striker Pio already has 5 goals successful 10 Azzurri appearances. Italian fans should besides ticker retired for Frattesi, different scorer from the past crippled who has besides netted 3 times for Lazio successful this year’s Serie A.

What person the coaches said?

Zinedine Zidane (France): “It is going to beryllium truly emotional,” said Zidane, whose past quality astatine the Stade de France came arsenic a subordinate successful a affable against Mexico successful 2006.

Roberto Mancini (Italy): “Facing Zidane volition beryllium a pleasure, but this isn’t a duel betwixt us,” assured Mancini successful his property conference.

“It is going to beryllium a large crippled betwixt France and Italy, teams who are inactive trying to fig things out. Whatever happens, I consciousness that this lucifer volition beryllium precise utile for the process.”

Team quality and predicted line-ups

France

Mbappe is the biggest sanction missing from the France squad. He picked up a knee injury aft scoring the winning extremity against Turkiye and has since been sidelined for 2 weeks.

Elsewhere, cardinal midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery is retired with a thigh injury, and Matteo Guendouzi remains suspended.

Probable France XI: Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Jeremy Jacquet, Maxence Lacroix, Adrien Truffert; Rayan Cherki, Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot; Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola

Michael Kayode (right) of Italy celebrates scoring his team’s 3rd extremity with teammate Sandro Tonali during past week’s crippled against Turkiye successful Bursa [Ahmad Mora/Getty Images]

Italy

Italy person a afloat acceptable squad.

Probable Italy XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Michael Kayode, Giorgio Scalvini, Alessandro Bastoni, Matteo Ruggeri; Sandro Tonali; Davide Frattesi, Nicolo Fagioli; Giacomo Raspadori, Francesco Pio Esposito, Sebastiano Esposito

France vs Italy: TV channel, livestreaming

• France: la chaine L’Équipe, TF1+
• Italy: RAI PLAY, Mediaset, Sky Italia
• United Kingdom: Prime Video UK
• United States: FOX Sports, FuboTV, ViX
• India: Sony Sports Network
• Middle East and North Africa: beIN SPORTS
• South Africa: DStv Stream

You tin find your determination broadcaster connected UEFA’s authoritative broadcaster listing.