France plays Italy in a UEFA Nations League group match on Thursday, November 12, at 20.35, with Les Bleus leading Group 1 with 10 points ahead of their rivals on 7.
Who leads Group 1 in the UEFA Nations League?
Group 1 includes France, Italy, Belgium, and Turkey, with the top two teams advancing to the quarterfinals after six matches. Currently, France leads the standings with 10 points, polsatsport.pl reported.
Italy follows closely behind with 7 points, while Belgium sits in third place with 6 points and Turkey has yet to score a point. The quarterfinals and playoffs are scheduled for March 25-30, and the Final Four tournament will take place from June 9-13.
How did the previous meetings unfold?
Italy enters the fixture carrying a three-match unbeaten streak against top-tier opponents. This run features victories over Turkey with scores of 4:1 and 3:1, alongside a 1:1 draw against France. Meanwhile, the French national team has remained undefeated since the World Cup, where they suffered defeats against Spain (0:2) and England (4:6).
In their previous head-to-head encounter at the Stade de France, the two sides played out a 1:1 draw, where Michael Olise scored for the hosts before Alessandro Bastoni equalized for the Italians.
Why was Kylian Mbappe omitted from the squad?
The French squad arrived at their final training camp of the year dealing with a wave of injuries affecting players such as Pierre Kalulu, Marcus Thuram, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Kylian Mbappe.
Przegląd Sportowy said that the Real Madrid forward was omitted from the squad for the upcoming match. Sport.pl reported that the 27-year-old’s knee injury is not considered serious, and French media speculate he will be available for selection against Turkey.
What is the status of Zidane’s relationship with Mbappe?
Journalists at L’Equipe examined the working dynamic between coach Zinedine Zidane and his star forward. Initial friction arose when Zidane moved Mbappe to the left wing to accommodate Ousmane Dembele in the center of the attack. Sport.pl reported that the coach and player had no immediate opportunity to discuss the tactical shift in September because Mbappe arrived at camp with a cold before sustaining a knee injury against Turkey.
Will Kylian Mbappe play against Italy?
No, the forward’s knee injury rules him out of the fixture against Italy, though French media expect him to return for the match against Turkey.
Where can viewers watch the Italy versus France match?
Polsatsport.pl reported that the match will be broadcast live on Polsat Sport 1 and online via the Polsat Box Go platform starting at 20.35.
Transmission of the match between Italy and France begins on Thursday, November 12, at 20.35 on Polsat Sport 1 and online on Polsat Box Go.