France will welcome Italy for their third UEFA Nations League meeting this Friday at the Stade de France.
France are in excellent shape, leading Group A1 with a flawless six points from two games. Under new head coach Zinedine Zidane, Les Bleus have built a very steady base, netting twice and keeping two clean sheets. They began their Nations League run with a tough 1-0 away win against Türkiye, then followed it with another tightly controlled 1-0 home victory over Belgium thanks to a late goal from Michael Olise.
France team news
Zidane is dealing with a big headache in attack because captain Kylian Mbappé has been sent home after picking up a knee tendon problem in the Türkiye match.
The defence is also badly hit, with key centre-backs William Saliba and Ibrahima Konaté absent for the entire international window due to earlier injuries.
Things got worse when winger Bradley Barcola had to leave camp early due to a serious thigh strain.
After rotating heavily in the recent 1-0 win over Belgium, Zidane is likely to bring back his main players. Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Manu Koné and Adrien Rabiot are all expected to return to the starting line-up. With Mbappé out, 21-year-old Désiré Doué is set to start on the left flank, while Maxence Lacroix is projected to continue alongside teenage defender Jeremy Jacquet in the heart of defence.
France predicted lineup
Possible France starting XI: Maignan; Kalulu, Upamecano, Lacroix, Truffert; Cherki, Kone, Rabiot; Olise, Dembele, Doue
When will the match kick off?
The match will kick off at 7:45pm BST on Friday, 2nd October.
How to watch France vs Italy?
The France vs Italy UEFA Nations League match can be watched live in the UK tonight on Amazon Prime Video.
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