France v Italy: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch

UEFA Nations League,
League A – 3

France
FROM

2/10/2026
7:45 p.m

Italy
ITA

Stade de France

Jesus Gil Manzano

Previous France-Italy

The Zinedine Zidane effect will be in full force tonight when France face Italy in front of an expectant crowd in Paris.

The former Les Bleus midfielder has brought a wave of optimism following his appointment as successor to the long-serving Didier Deschamps. Back-to-back 1-0 away wins have given cause for optimism on the pitch and this has been accompanied by tickets for the Azzurri game selling out in minutes.

France have looked solid in their opening two Nations League games, beating Turkey before a wonder goal from Michael Olise gave them victory over Belgium on Monday night. Zidane’s exuberant celebrations, charging down the touchline before pouncing on a loose ball as hard as he could, typified the excitement he has brought to the role after the pragmatic approach adopted by Deschamps.

Zidane, of course, has history with Italy. After five glorious seasons with Juventus, he became a pantomime villain in the country after butting heads with Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final, a match which Italy eventually won on penalties.

Italy will arrive in France looking to rebuild their shattered reputation after failing to reach the World Cup for the third time in a row earlier this year.

Roberto Mancini returned to a second spell in charge and results so far have been mixed. A home defeat to Belgium hinted at a continuation of their recent struggles, but the manner of their 4-1 win in Turkey last time out has offered hope that the man who led them to the Euro 2020 crown could spark a revival.

A trip to the Stade de France is another key indicator of their progress. A draw would be a fantastic result for Italy and give hope for the rest of the campaign and beyond.

Nations League group A1 table

France-Italy team news

Zidane opted to make nine changes for the match with Belgium, but there are a number of players set to return, including Olise and current Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele. Captain Kylian Mbappé remains sidelined with a knee injury against Turkey.

Mancini named a large squad for this extended international break and the Italian FA confirmed on Thursday morning that nine players – Honest Ahanor, Nicolò Cambiaghi, Diego Coppola, Daniele Ghilardi, Samuele Inacio, Eddy Kouadio, Rolando Mandragora, Massimo Pessina, Alessandro Romano – would stay at Coverciano and not travel to France.

Planned lineups for France-Italy

France: Maignan; Kalulu, Upamecano, Lacroix, Truffert; Cherki, Kone, Rabiot; Olise, Dembele, God

Italy: Donnarumma; Kayode, Mancini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Barella, Fagioli, Tonali; Cambiaghi, P Esposito, Maldini

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.

France-Italy prediction

Italy will improve under Mancini, but it seems unrealistic to expect them to challenge France in Paris.

France haven’t let up yet under Zidane and we can imagine that continuing and the likes of Dembele and Olise threatening at the other end.

France

2-0

Italy