France National Team to Face Italy, Accompanied by Zidane
The Italian national team will host its French counterpart on Thursday evening in the fifth and penultimate round, to decide the top spot of Group 1 in the top tier of the UEFA Nations League.
Italy holds the second position in the group with 7 points, 3 points behind France, which needs a draw to reach the quarter-finals.
The 1-1 draw in the first leg reflected Italy's continuous development after missing the 2026 World Cup. They aim to reach the final stages for the third time in their last 4 participations, but their task will not be easy after losing 3 of their last 4 home matches in the competition.
On the other hand, France, under the leadership of coach Zinedine Zidane, is having a remarkable year. They arrive in Milan with the ambition of equaling their record for the number of wins in a single calendar year (13 victories).
In their last appearance, they defeated Belgium 4-1, bringing their total to 36 goals in various competitions during 2026, which is the second-best scoring record among European teams this year, behind England (39).
Zinedine Zidane hopes his team will continue its strong attacking performances, as he seeks a fourth win in his first 5 matches at the helm of the technical staff.
France has won its last 3 away matches against Italy, a number that surpasses what it achieved in the previous 14 encounters.
Source: Open Sources
