France Host Italy With UEFA Nations League Group A1 Lead at Stake

Zinedine Zidane's France lead Group A1 after two 1-0 wins, but Roberto Mancini's Italy can leapfrog them with a victory at the Stade de France on Friday.

France host Italy at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday in a top-of-the-table UEFA Nations League Group A1 fixture. France currently lead the section, and a victory would lift Italy above them into first place. Oddsmakers nonetheless list the home side as the favorite.

Zinedine Zidane has opened his tenure as France head coach with two wins from two, though the performances have been less commanding than the results. Les Bleus edged Turkey 1-0 before repeating that scoreline away to Belgium. Michael Olise decided the Brussels contest with a goal in the 90th minute, sending France to the top of the group.

Italy's campaign has swung between extremes. Roberto Mancini's side claimed their first points of the season in this competition with a 4-1 win over Turkey in Bursa, then fell 2-0 at home to Belgium in their most recent match. Their away record offers encouragement ahead of the trip to Paris: Italy have taken victories in each of their last five road games in the Nations League.

The head-to-head record between these teams has taken on a striking pattern. Each of the last four meetings has finished 3-1, with France winning three of them. Goals have been a constant whenever they meet: each of Italy's last five matches against France has gone beyond 2.5 goals, and both sides have found the net in all five. Those trends point to an open game.

France's home form adds another obstacle for the visitors. They are unbeaten in their last six matches on home soil, with five wins and a draw, and they have recorded five shutouts across their last six home internationals. Italy have tended to start quickly, scoring the opening goal in nine of their past ten matches — the kind of early strike that would aid their cause in Paris.

The stakes go beyond a single result. France are bidding to reach the Nations League knockout rounds for the third time in the past four editions, and staying at the head of Group A1 would keep that goal in sight.

France will be without Kylian Mbappe after the Real Madrid forward sustained a minor injury in the Belgium match. His absence places more of the attacking burden on Olise, whose recent scoring has skewed late: seven of his past eight goals at club and international level have arrived after halftime.

Italy are expected to give 21-year-old Inter forward Francesco Pio Esposito the leading role in attack. Esposito scored in the win over Turkey and has opened the season well, registering two goals and an assist across five Serie A appearances.

Next on the Global Sportscast schedule, Belgium travel to the Stade de France to face France on Monday, October 5, with kickoff at 2:45 PM EDT.