- The France vs Italy match will be played on Friday at the Parc des Prince.
- The match will kick off at 2145EAT.
European heavyweights France and Italy are set to renew their rivalry on Friday night in a much-anticipated UEFA Nations League tie.
Both sides will be seeking to pick up the maximum points in order to stand a chance of proceeding to the next round with only the top two nations in League A Group 1, which also has Israel and Belgium, booking a ticket to the quarterfinals scheduled for 2025.
Italy head to the Parc des Princes seeking to bounce back from a heart-breaking 2-0 defeat at the hands of Switzerland in the knockout stage of the recently held Euro tournament.
Similar to Italy, France also failed to meet the expectations of their fans in Euro 2024, struggling to score goals despite having red-hot forwards like Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.
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The Didier Deschamps-coached side was bundled out in the semifinal by eventual winners Spain in an encounter which ended 2-1.
Randal Kolo Muani put Les Bleus ahead early in the first half of that end-to-end clash. However, two-well taken goals from FC Barcelona wonder kid Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo ensured Spain went to the break with a 2-1 lead which they protected to qualify for the finals.
Friday’s match will be interesting since France and Italy have not faced each other in a tournament since the 2008 European Championship which they lost 2-0.
Here is the essential information you need to know ahead of the fixture. Click this link to place your bet on the game and remember you can get up to 1000% SportPesa bonus on your multi bet of up to 50 games.
What time does France vs Italy start?
The match is expected to start at 9:45 PM Kenyan time on Friday at the Parc de Princes.
France vs Italy Team News
Italy head coach Luciano Spalletti left several players out of his squad for September’s international break including Arsenal midfielder Jorginho.
Besides that, Nicolo Barella and Gianluca Scamacca are also sidelined due to injury-related issues.
Meanwhile, Spalletti’s counterpart Deschamps, has dropped Benjamin Pavard and Adrien Rabiot from his squad which competed in Euro 2024.
N’Golo Kanté, who has had stints with the likes of Chelsea and Leicester City, has been named in the team for the second consecutive time, having made his return during the Euros.
In addition, Michael Olise, who parted ways with Crystal Palace in the summer transfer window, and Roma’s new boy Manu Kone are set to make their senior team debut.
Meanwhile, Ferland Mendy (shin), Aurelien Tchouameni (foot), and Wesley Fofana (fitness) have pulled out of the team.
Possible Starting Lineups
France: Maignan, Hernandez, Saliba, Konate, Kounde, Kanté, Guendouzi, Zaire-Emery, Dembele, Kolo Muani, Mbappe
Italy: Donnarumma, Bastoni, Buongiorno, Di Lorenzo, Fagioli, Cambiaso, Dimarco, Frattesi, Zaccagni, Pellegrini, Retegui
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France vs Italy Head-to-head
France and Italy have battled it out seven times in competitive competitions since 2007 with Les Bleus registering four wins. Two of those matches ended in a draw.
France: 4
Draws: 2
Italy: 1
France vs Italy Current Form
France: DDWWL
Italy: WWLDL
France vs Italy Prediction
France are expected to collect all the three points in this match since they have a more experienced squad.
The fact that they will be playing at home, also makes them pre-match favorites. However, the visitors should not be ruled out of returning to Italy with something because of their solid defense.
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