The France national team heads into its decisive Nations League match against Italy on Thursday missing eleven key players, including star forward Kylian Mbappé. Manager Zinédine Zidane must field a depleted squad for this fifth fixture in Group 1, where a win could secure a place in the quarter-finals.
Zidane confirmed the extent of the absences. "This Thursday, they can even go and secure qualification for the Nations League quarter-finals," he said. Alongside Mbappé, the season's top scorer with ten goals in eight caps, William Saliba, Jules Koundé, Ousmane Dembélé and Aurélien Tchouaméni are also unavailable.
The probable lineup is built around Adrien Rabiot, who will wear the captain's armband in midfield. He will be supported by Lucas Da Cunha and Rayan Cherki. In attack, Désiré Doué, who scored against Belgium last month, is expected to lead the line, flanked by Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola. Olise, who scored twice in the recent 4-1 win over Belgium on October 5th, will be a key asset.
The defence should feature Malo Gusto at right-back, Dayot Upamecano and Jérémy Jacquet at centre-back, and Adrien Truffert on the left. Mike Maignan will start in goal. This match comes with France unbeaten in their last three outings, recording two wins and a draw. Their most recent victory, a 4-1 win over Belgium on October 5th, featured goals from Doué and Olise. This positive run also includes a 1-1 draw with Italy on October 2nd, in which Olise was also on the scoresheet.
Thursday's match at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium in Milan is key in the qualification race. The last meeting between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw in October. The available players will need to rely on this positive momentum to compensate for the numerous absences and secure a good result away from home.
Background and full detail: Le Parisien
