France and Italy meet again on Friday, with the UEFA Nations League bringing two of Europe’s most decorated national sides back into the same frame. The third round fixture, available on Sky Sports at midday, carries the familiar weight of a rivalry that includes the 2006 World Cup final and now runs through a group also containing Belgium and Turkey.
France arrive at the top of Group A after two narrow wins, both by a 1-0 scoreline. Zinedine Zidane’s side overcame Turkey before edging Belgium, collecting six points despite performances that have required more patience than the scorelines may suggest. Another victory would strengthen their hold on first place and provide the more convincing display they have yet to produce in the competition.
Kylian Mbappé will again be unavailable after leaving the France camp injured following the opening match. Even without him, Zidane can call on attacking options including Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé, Rayan Cherki and Bradley Barcola as Les Bleus seek a third successive Nations League win.
Italy recover after Belgium setback
For Italy, the opening days have followed a sharper curve. Roberto Mancini’s team began with a 2-0 defeat to Belgium, an unwelcome result for a side attempting to restore confidence after missing another World Cup. The response against Turkey was emphatic: a 4-1 victory that delivered their first points of the campaign and reopened the route towards the group’s leading places.
The match in France offers the Azzurri a more demanding measure of that recovery. A win would not only follow up the Turkey result but also put Italy directly into the contest for control of a section in which Belgium and Turkey have already shown they can make every away trip awkward.
The nations last met in this tournament’s group stage two years ago, when the series was split. Each side won once, and both matches ended 3-1. Across 41 meetings in all competitions, Italy hold the stronger overall record with 20 victories, while France have won 13 times and eight games have finished level.
