A high-caliber football summit within the final round of the group stage of the European Nations League. Although this confrontation may have a “formal” character due to the two teams having previously qualified for the quarter-finals, it carries special importance for both parties, especially in light of the great history between them and the traditional rivalry that Together, Italy topped Group A2 with outstanding performance, including its important 3-1 victory over France in the first round last September, which put it in a strong position, and France needs to win by three goals or more today to seize the lead from the hands of the Italians.
Yalla Shoot live broadcast of the Italian and French national teams
Italy, led by coach Luciano Spalletti, continued its strong run with a well-deserved victory over Belgium with a clean goal in Brussels on Thursday, with Sandro Tonali scoring the only goal. On the other hand, France stumbled to a goalless draw with Israel in a match dominated by the “Roosters”, but they failed to take advantage of the opportunities due to… Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz shined.
With qualification guaranteed, Spalletti may make some changes to the squad that played against Belgium. Moise Kean, who is in a period of great form, is expected to get the chance to start in attack in place of Mathieu Retegui. We may also see new faces such as Manuel Locatelli, Destiny Udoji, and Guglielmo Vicario.
Spalletti used the game plan with three defenders against Belgium, and he may repeat it tonight, but he has enough flexibility to return to playing with a back four if the need arises. Among the notable absences, the Italian national team is missing the services of defensive midfielder Samuele Ricci and injured Atalanta duo Gianluca Scamaca and Giorgio Scalvini.
Italy’s expected lineup (3-5-1-1):
- Goalkeeper: Guglielmo Vicario
- Defense: Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Federico Gatti, Alessandro Bongiorno
- Midfield: Andrea Cambiasso, Niccolò Barella, Manuel Locatelli, Sandro Tonali, Destiny Udoji
- Attack: Giacomo Raspadori, Moise Kean
France: poignant absences and renewed blood
France’s coach, Didier Deschamps, chose to exclude star Kylian Mbappe from the November roster, stressing that this was “for the good of everyone.” Despite Mbappe’s absence, France has an abundance of attacking talent that could participate in Milan, such as Marcus Thuram and Kingsley Coman.
William Saliba is expected to return to the back four, while young goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier could earn his international debut. In midfield, Adrien Rabiot is likely to replace Eduardo Camavinga, while N’Golo Kante may be rested after his full participation against Israel.
Expected lineup for France (4-2-3-1):
- Goalkeeper: Lucas Chevalier
- Defense: Benjamin Pavard, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Hernandez
- Midfield: Matteo Guendouzi, Adrien Rabiot
- Attack: Ousmane Dembélé, Christopher Nkunku, Kingsley Coman
- Spearhead: Marcus Thuram.
You may also be interested in:-
