Zinedine Zidane takes charge of his first home game France no matter how they do it Italy in the UEFA Nations League.
Zidane, who won the World Cup with Les Bleus as a player in 1998, has won his first two games as manager, winning 1-0 away to Turkey and Belgium.
His side now face an Azzurri side who won their confidence 4-1 in Turkey last time out, winning the opener of Roberto Mancini’s second spell in charge.
101GreatGoals has the full team news from an exciting match at the Stade de France.
France team news
Zidane makes six changes from the starting XI since the 1-0 win against Belgium.
Maghnes Akliouche, Bradley Barcola, Eduardo Camavinga, Andy Diouf, Maxence Lacroix and Esteban Lepaul have dropped to the bench.
Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Truffert come in at the back for Lacroix and Diouf, while Adrien Rabiot replaces Camavinga in midfield.
Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki and Ousmane Dembele replace Akliouche, Barcola and Lepaul respectively.
France: Maignan; Kalulu, Jacquet, Upamecano, Truffert; Rabiot, Da Cunha; Olise, Cherki, Doue; Dembele
France substitutes: Akliouche, Barcola, Butez, Camavinga, Diouf, Kone, Kounde, Lacroix, Lepaul, Restes, Yoro.
Italy team news
Conversely, Mancini made only two changes from the starting eleven for the emphatic victory against Turkey.
Riccardo Calafiori replaces Matteo Ruggeri at left-back, while Moise Kean replaces the injured Giacomo Raspadori.
Italy: Donnarumma; Kayode, Scalvini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Tonali, Fagioli, Frattesi; Kean, S. Esposito; FP Esposito.
Italy substitutes: Barella, Carnesecchi, Di Lorenzo, Doumbia, Maldini, Mancini, Ricci, Ruggeri, Scamacca, Vergara, Vicario, Zoma.
Nations League group A1 table
League A – Group A
-
position 1, 2: Play Offs: Quarter-finals
-
position 3: Relegation Playoffs
-
position 4: Descent
France-Italy recent form and statistics
- Italy dominates the general. They have won 20 of their previous 41 meetings. France have won 12 with nine draws.
- The visiting team won the last two Nations League meetings. Italy won 3-1 in Paris and France won 3-1 at San Siro in the 2024-25 campaign. None of the last five games between the two have been drawn.
- Michael Olise has been involved in 13 goals in 14 games for France in 2026. This includes coming off the bench to score the winner against Belgium.
- Francesco Pio Esposito has scored six goals in 11 games for Italy. The 21-year-old scored and set up a goal in the 4-1 win against Turkey.
Where to watch France vs Italy: TV and online broadcasts
France v Italy kicks off at 7.45pm on Friday night. You can watch it in the UK Amazon Prime Video for a pay-per-view price of £2.49.
