Zinedine Zidane Prepares for Emotional France Homecoming Against Rival Italy in UEFA Nations League

Zinedine Zidane, the new France coach, has guided them to back-toback wins ahead of a high-stakes UEFA Nations League Group A1 clash against Italy at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France.

It’s time for Zinedine Zidane’s homecoming. Two-time world champions France face neighbours Italy in Friday’s Nations League match, with Zidane taking charge for the first time on home soil. Appointed in late July as successor to Didier Deschamps, ex-captain Zidane has guided France to back-to-back away wins. Now he has the chance to complete a hat-trick of victories in front of Les Bleus faithful.

Despite losing captain Kylian Mbappe to injury, France have maintained their winning start, all thanks to their squad depth and talent across positions. Like France, four-time World Cup winners Italy are also managed by a former player – Roberto Mancini – who is back in the job for the second time. Mancini’s first game back in charge ended in Roman jeers, but the Azzurri responded in style with an emphatic win in their second game.

Friday’s match is expected to be played in front of what will be a sell-out crowd of close to 80,000 fans at the national stadium north of Paris. Al Jazeera breaks down everything in this match preview.

What is the UEFA Nations League?

The UEFA Nations League was founded in 2018 to reduce the number of meaningless friendlies and give nations competitive matches against top-ranked teams. In this competition, countries from across Europe participate in a league structure which features promotion and relegation.

How have France and Italy played in the Nations League?

France are on top of this group with six points after identical 1-0 wins over Turkiye and Belgium. Italy, on the other hand, are second-to-last with three points after losing 2-0 to Belgium and thrashing Turkiye 4-1.

When did France and Italy last meet?

They last met in a Nations League group match in November 2024. France defeated Italy 3-1 in Milan then, with a double from Adrien Rabiot and a Guglielmo Vicario own goal. Andrea Cambiaso netted the consolation goal for the Italians.

France vs Italy: Head-to-head

Matches: 41
France wins: 12
Italy wins: 20
Draws: 9

France vs Italy: Form guide

France: W-W-L-L-W
Italy: W-L-W-W-D

Who are the top players to watch?

Michael Olise and Desire Doue (France): Olise’s outrageous finish in Monday’s Belgium game had Zidane going berserk on the sideline. Such is his talent. He has been involved in both goals France scored in this year’s Nations League and is also enjoying a flying start at Bayern Munich this term with eight goals and four assists. Doue, 21, is equally impressive – he assisted Olise in the last game, earning player of the match.

Francesco Pio Esposito and Davide Frattesi (Italy): Pio Esposito not only scored a goal in the last game but also celebrated a sweet bit of history – he and his older brother Sebastiano played against Turkiye, marking the first time two brothers started for Italy in more than a century. Inter Milan striker Pio already has five goals in 10 Azzurri appearances. Italian fans should also watch out for Frattesi, another scorer from the last game who has also netted three times for Lazio in this year’s Serie A.

What have the coaches said?

Zinedine Zidane (France): “It is going to be really emotional,” said Zidane, whose last appearance at the Stade de France came as a player in a friendly against Mexico in 2006.

Roberto Mancini (Italy): “Facing Zidane will be a pleasure, but this isn’t a duel between us,” assured Mancini in his press conference. “It is going to be a great game between France and Italy, teams who are still trying to figure things out. Whatever happens, I feel that this match will be very useful for the process.”

Team news and predicted line-ups

France: Mbappe is the biggest name missing from the France squad. He picked up a knee injury after scoring the winning goal against Turkiye and has since been sidelined for two weeks. Elsewhere, central midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery is out with a thigh injury, and Matteo Guendouzi remains suspended.
Probable France XI: Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Jeremy Jacquet, Maxence Lacroix, Adrien Truffert; Rayan Cherki, Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot; Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola

Italy: Italy have a fully fit squad.
Probable Italy XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Michael Kayode, Giorgio Scalvini, Alessandro Bastoni, Matteo Ruggeri; Sandro Tonali; Davide Frattesi, Nicolo Fagioli; Giacomo Raspadori, Francesco Pio Esposito, Sebastiano Esposito