Parc des Princes forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering UEFA Nations League encounter between eternal rivals France and Italy. Friday’s showdown at Paris Saint-Germain’s home venue serves to kick off proceedings in Group A/2 and offers both nations a chance to make amends for disappointing EURO 2024 campaigns.
France stuttered in the summer competition despite reaching the quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Spain 2-1. Except for a late 1-0 triumph against Belgium and an identical victory against Austria in their curtain-raising fixture, Didier Deschamps failed to win their remaining three EURO 2024 matches in regulation (D2, L1).
Deschamps faced mass criticism after the tournament. But he has, nonetheless, remained in charge. Though the Nations League carries less prestige than the European Championship, France will not underestimate the upcoming challenges, seeking their second title in this competition after their memorable triumph in 2021.
On the other hand, Italy cannot afford another embarrassment after upsetting the nation with a disastrous title-defending attempt in Germany. Luciano Spalletti’s side squeaked into the knockout stages by the skin of their teeth, only to lose 2-0 to Switzerland in a one-sided affair in the round of 16.
Italy’s debacle at EURO 2024 raised more questions about this generation, especially after missing out on back-to-back World Cup finals in Russia and Qatar. Gli Azzurri could soften those blows in the Nations League, searching for their first title after being forced to settle for a third-place finish twice in the last two iterations.
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France
Nations League glory isn’t beyond France, as evidenced by their abovementioned success three years ago. However, Les Bleus have since claimed just one win across six matches in this competition (D2, L3), showing signs of weakness that culminated with an underwhelming EURO 2024 journey.
Deschamps’ star-studded squad, headlined by new Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe, only netted four goals in regulation across six games at the tournament. Against this backdrop, they’ve been regular on the scoresheet in this fixture, with the last three meetings between France and Italy seeing both teams score before halftime.
As France came out on top each time, it’s only natural to assume they’ll seek a winning start to their Group 2 campaign, knowing their last defeat at the hands of Italy dates back to 2008.
Italy
Despite heading to Paris amidst a three-match winless streak (D1, L2), Italy can draw heart from their formidable form in the league phase of the Nations League. They’ve traditionally excelled at this stage, suffering defeat only twice in 16 group-stage outings in this competition (W7, D7).
While their recent struggle in this fixture doesn’t bode well for Spalletti’s bid to get his faltering managerial tenure back on track, Italy won the last competitive encounter between the two teams 16 years ago. Worryingly for Azzurri fans, the Italians take this trip on a three-game winless run on their international travels (D2, L1).
However, their last away win came in the Nations League, as they defeated the Netherlands 3-2 toward the end of Roberto Mancini’s reign in a third-place playoff in June 2023. Unfortunately, that was the last time Italy scored more than once in foreign lands.
Team News
Deschamps has handed Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise and Roma midfielder Manu Kone their maiden international call-ups. France will be without their all-time top-scorer, Olivier Giroud, as the ex-Milan striker retired from the national team after the EURO 2024 fiasco.
As for Italy, Sandro Tonali’s return after serving a nine-month suspension is a massive boost for Spalletti. The Newcastle United midfielder will compete with Atalanta’s Marco Brescianini and Torino’s Samuele Ricci for a place in the starting XI, with the former preparing for his Azzurri debut.
France vs Italy Potential Line-ups
France (4-3-3): Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Ibrahima Konate, Theo Hernandez; N’Golo Kante, Aurelien Tchouameni, Warren Zaire-Emery; Ousmane Dembele, Marcus Thuram, Kylian Mbappe.
Italy (3-4-2-1): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alessandro Buongiorno, Alessandro Bastoni; Andrea Cambiaso, Sandro Tonali, Davide Frattesi, Federico Dimarco; Lorenzo Pellegrini, Mattia Zaccagni; Mateo Retegui.
France vs Italy Prediction
In addition to beating Italy across their last three meetings, France can take further confidence from playing on home soil, where they tend to go nuclear against any opposition. The visitors are still a ‘work in progress’ under Spalletti, and it’s hard to envisage anything other than Les Bleus’ victory.
Prediction: France to Win
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