France host Italy in Zidane's first home match

France can complete a winning start to Zinedine Zidane’s tenure and mark his first home match as national coach by beating Italy in the Nations League on Friday. The meeting at the Stade de France also carries a personal connection for Zidane, who spent the peak years of his playing career at Juventus.

The French side have won both matches since Zidane took charge, each by 1-0. Their opening victory came in Turkey, while the second success featured a more convincing performance despite major changes to the starting team. A third win would extend the new coach’s perfect record after two matches.

France are expected to line up with Mike Maignan behind Jules Koundé, Dayot Upamecano, Loïc Jacquet and Adrien Truffert. Ryan Cherki, Da Cunha and Adrien Rabiot are set for midfield roles, with Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué leading the attack. Italy’s projected team includes Gianluigi Donnarumma, a back three of Alessandro Bastoni, Riccardo Calafiori and Alessandro Buongiorno, and a midfield featuring Frattesi, Sandro Tonali and Samuele Ricci.

Kick-off is scheduled for 20:45. TF1 will broadcast the match, with the same channel’s streaming platform also available.