This Friday, the French national team will play Italy in the Nations League at 8:45 PM at the Stade de France. Ahead of the match, Le Parisien and L’Equipe have attempted to predict the lineups that French manager Zinedine Zidane and his Italian counterpart Roberto Mancini will field. The match involves three Paris Saint-Germain players—all French: Désiré Doué, Maghnes Akliouche, and Ousmane Dembélé. Doué is expected to start.
France –
Le Parisien (4-3-3) –
Doué – Dembélé – Olise
Rabiot – Koné – Cherki
Truffert – Jacquet – Upamecano – Koundé
Maignan.
L’Equipe (4-3-3) –
Doué – Dembélé – Olise
Koné – Da Cunha – Cherki
Truffert – Upamecano – Jacquet – Koundé
Maignan.
Italy –
Le Parisien (4-3-3) –
Cambiaghi – P. Esposito – Maldini
Fagioli – Tonali – Barella
Calafiori – Bastoni – Scalvini – Kayode
Donnarumma
L’Equipe (4-3-3) –
Kean – P. Esposito – Vergara
Fagioli – Tonali – Frattesi
Calafiori – Bastoni – G. Mancini – Kayode
Donnarumma
These are entirely plausible lineups, given recent matches and potential squad rotation. However, it is difficult to be certain in such a tight schedule, with fierce competition for places and managers overseeing their first games since taking charge.
There are many options available, and we have yet to fully discover their choices and methods. For instance, we see two very different Italian lineups, while there is uncertainty regarding whether or not Lucas Da Cunha will feature in the French midfield. We will therefore await the official lineup announcements—roughly an hour before kickoff—for confirmation.
