Italy Clash With France in Nations League Showdown: Key Predictions, Lineups, and What to Expect

The UEFA Nations League is back this Thursday with a highly anticipated showdown between Italy and France.

The two former world champions met in Group 1 of League A back in October, with the contest ending in a 1–1 stalemate. Les Bleus, however, claimed victories in all three of their remaining Nations League games against Belgium (twice) and Türkiye, while their upcoming hosts have gathered seven points from two wins and one loss either side of their visit to the Stade de France.

Zinédine Zidane, famously dismissed in the final game of his playing career as Italy defeated France in the 2006 World Cup final, knows his squad can secure a Nations League quarterfinal berth by avoiding defeat at San Siro, with a win guaranteeing top spot. Even a loss would see France advance should Belgium fall to Türkiye in the other Matchday 5 fixture.

Italy, back under the stewardship of Euro 2020-winning coach Roberto Mancini, currently occupies second place in the table but can still reach the last eight on home soil. The Azzurri would need to defeat France and depend on Belgium dropping points.

The encouraging news for both teams is that relegation from League A is no longer a concern, thanks to Türkiye's four consecutive defeats during the last international window.

Italy vs. France Score Prediction

Les Blues Find a Way

Zidane has made a solid start to his four-game tenure as France's head coach. Back-to-back away wins over Belgium and Türkiye got things underway, followed by the draw with Italy and an impressive 4–1 thrashing of the Belgians.

Les Bleus are yet to truly hit top gear under their iconic former player, particularly in the final third—aside from a four-goal burst in just 14 minutes against Belgium. They have been without key man Kylian Mbappé for their last three outings, and he is expected to miss the Italy fixture as well due to a hamstring injury.

Nevertheless, France still boasts an extraordinary wealth of attacking talent, with Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki all part of the squad. Those players would be expected to cause problems for an Italian backline that has struggled of late, having conceded in all four matches since Mancini's return.

Much like their opponents, the four-time world champions are still finding their rhythm under new (or rather, returning) management, and are unlikely to deliver their sharpest performance on Thursday. The draw in France will have provided a confidence boost, but the Azzurri are generally viewed as underdogs in these high-profile encounters given their recent struggles.

Prediction: Italy 1–2 France

Italy Predicted Lineup vs. France

Mancini has been deprived of several key Italy players through injury, with Moise Kean, Giacomo Raspadori, Gianluca Mancini and Giovanni Di Lorenzo all unavailable. Despite being named in the squad for what would have been his first appearance in over two years, Nicolò Zaniolo has since pulled out for personal reasons.

Four additional players have been omitted compared to the previous international break. Bryan Cristante, Daniel Maldini, Mohamed Ali Zoma and Rolando Madragora have all been left out.

Marco Palestra is in contention for his third senior international cap after recently recovering from injury at Chelsea, while Alphadjo Cisse is among those who could make their debut after being rewarded for his outstanding club form at AC Milan.

Mattia Liberali, Matteo Palma, Daniele Ghilardi and Marco Carnesecchi are other uncapped players included in Mancini's squad.

Several high-profile names are set to feature against France, among them Gianluigi Donnarumma, Riccardo Calafiori, Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolò Barella and Sandro Tonali.

Italy predicted lineup vs. France (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Kayode, Scalvini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Barella, Tonali, Fagioli; Vergara, P. Esposito, S. Esposito.

France Predicted Lineup vs. Italy

Mbappé is included in Zidane's second squad selection, but as noted, he is expected to be sidelined for the Italy match due to a hamstring complaint. There is hope he will be fit to feature against Türkiye on Sunday.

With Ousmane Dembélé, Marcus Thuram, Esteban Lepaul and Hugo Ekitiké also ruled out through injury, either Eli Junior Kroupi or Senny Mayulu could make their first appearance as the central striker—though the former has only just returned from a spell on the sidelines and the latter has featured only occasionally as a false nine at Paris Saint-Germain.

Barcola is another option to lead the line, having done so on occasion for Liverpool this season, and he would be supported by Doué and Olise on the flanks.

In the defensive unit, Pierre Kalulu, Maxence Lacroix, William Saliba and Jules Koundé are all sidelined, but Dayot Upamecano will be available again after serving the suspension that ruled him out of France's previous game. He is likely to partner Ibrahima Konaté or Jérémy Jacquet at the heart of defense.

Manu Koné and Aurélien Tchouameni are also absent through injury in midfield, potentially opening the door for a starting trio of Warren Zaïre-Emery, Rayan Cherki and Eduardo Camavinga.

France predicted lineup vs. Italy (4-3-3): Maignan; Gusto, Jacquet, Upamecano, Truffert; Cherki, Zaïre-Emery, Camavinga; Olise, Barcola, Doué.

What Time Does Italy vs. France Kick Off?

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