Italy vs France UEFA Nations League Preview: Team News, Lineups, H2H, Tips & Prediction
European rivals France and Italy are set to square it out in a mouthwatering UEFA Nations League clash on Sunday in Milan.
The match is crucial for the two giants as it will decide who finishes at the top of League A Group 2 standings.
Italy, who occupy the top spot with 13 points, need any result as long as they do not allow their Sunday’s opponents to beat them by more than two goals to finish first in the pool that also has Belgium and Israel.
The Azzuri are currently enjoying a good run which has seen them win four of their last five matches (1D) and head into the Sunday fixture fresh from a 1-0 win over Belgium on Thursday.
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France on their part have only suffered one defeat in their group so far and have already qualified for the Nations League playoffs.
Their only defeat came courtesy of the Italians who hammered them 3-1 in a scintillating encounter that was staged at the Parc des Princes in September.
Therefore, Les Bleus travel to Milan with only one thing on their mind – to seek revenge against the hosts.
However, that will not be an easy task because they will miss one of their most important players in Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe.
The 25-year-old did not join the Didier Deschamps side this international break due to an unexplained reason.
Here are the essential details you need to know ahead of the upcoming tie. 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 Italy vs France start?
The match is scheduled to kick off at 10:45 pm Kenyan time on Sunday at the San Siro Stadium.
Italy vs France Team News
Besides Mbappe, France will also miss the services of Ousmane Dembele, who pulled out of the squad due to a thigh issue.
The injured trio of Aurelien Tchouameni, Wesley Fofana and Loic Bade are also out of contention.
Meanwhile, Italy are will also be without several of their stars who are currently recovering from injuries.
These players include Riccardo Calafiori, Gianluca Scamacca, Samuele Ricci and Giorgio Scalvini.
Possible Starting Lineups
Italy: Donnarumma, Cambiaso, Buongiorno, Bastoni, Di Lorenzo, Locatelli, Frattesi, Barella, Tonali, Dimarco, Kean
France: Maignan, Hernandez, Konate, Saliba, Kounde, Rabiot, Kante, Zaire-Emery, Olise, Barcola, Thuram
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Italy vs France Head-to-head
Since 2007, the two sides have played each other five times in all competitions with each side picking up two wins.
Italy: 2
Draw: 1
France: 2
Italy vs France Current Form
Italy: WWDWW
France: LWWWD
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Italy vs France Prediction
The Azzuri are the favorites to win this match because they have enjoyed an excellent run since the start of the qualification campaign. Moreover, the home advantage gives them an upper hand against their opponents.
However, the visitors should not be entirely ruled out of winning this match since they are looking to finish at the top of their group.
Therefore, football fans should expect an end-to-end game that may end with both sides failing to keep a clean sheet.