Italy vs France: UEFA Nations League – preview, team news, predictions

Under Roberto Mancini, who is back in his second stint in charge of the Azzurri, Italy lost their first group game 2-0 to Belgium but subsequently recorded thumping wins over Turkiye and got an impressive draw in Paris . Italy, who travel to Belgium for their final group game on Sunday, sit second in the group – one point ahead of the Belgians but three adrift of France.

Zinedine Zidane, who took over as France coach from Didier Deschamps after the 2026 World Cup, led Les Bleus to a 1-0 win in Turkiye, and victories over Belgium home and away – including a 4-1 thrashing in Paris. Zidane certainly has plenty of history with Italy as a player; he spent five seasons with Juventus and famously got a red card after headbutting Italy’s Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final.

France, who host Turkiye in their final group game on Sunday, can secure their quarterfinal spot with victory over Italy.