France and Turkey are set to face off in their first UEFA Nations League A match on Friday, with the game taking place at the Turca Arac Muayene Kocaeli Stadium.
France begins this campaign under the leadership of Zinedine Zidane, marking a fresh chapter after a turbulent summer under former manager Didier Deschamps. Les Bleus had a commanding World Cup knockout run, securing clean-sheet victories against Sweden, Paraguay, and Morocco. However, their campaign stumbled with a semi-final loss to Spain and a wild 6-4 third-place match defeat to England. Averaging more than two goals per game in recent matches, the squad boasts tremendous attacking power but is now focused on shoring up a defence that looked unusually vulnerable in July.
France team news
This match represents Zinedine Zidane’s first competitive outing as France manager, following Didier Deschamps’ exit.
A major positive for the French side is the return of captain Kylian Mbappé, who has been cleared to start after recovering from flu-like symptoms that affected his training earlier in the week.
Despite this, France does have some significant absentees. Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni is sidelined due to a groin injury, and forward Marcus Thuram
Hugo Ekitike and Jean-Philippe Mateta did not join the squad on the trip. Zidane has taken the opportunity presented by these absences to introduce a group of energetic young players.
Promising attackers Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola, and Désiré Doué have all been added to the 23-man roster and are expected to take on important roles, supplying pace and creativity in support of Mbappé.
France predicted lineup
Possible France starting XI: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Lacroix, Truffert; Camavinga, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Doue; Mbappe
When will the match kick off?
The match will kick off at 7:45pm BST on Friday, 25th September.
How to watch Turkiye vs France?
Viewers in the UK can stream the Turkiye vs France match live tonight on Amazon Prime Video through their Pay-Per-View (PPV) service.
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