Under the lights in Orléans, France Under-21s have a simple target against Luxembourg on Saturday: one point, and a place at the 2027 European Under-21 Championship finals will be secured.
Touré handed first France Under-21 start
- Kick-off against Luxembourg is scheduled for 19:00 in an Euro 2027 qualifying match.
- Issiaka Touré will start in goal after Ewen Jaouen suffered a hamstring problem on Thursday.
- The Aubagne goalkeeper is set to make his first appearance for the France Under-21 side.
- Mathieu Patouillet will begin the game among the substitutes.
The rest of the selection follows the expected plan, with Saïmon Bouabré, Steve Ngoura and Nathan Zézé all included in the starting XI.
Giovani Versini is also rewarded with his first start for Les Bleuets. He had previously appeared three times from the bench at this level.
A draw enough for the finals
France need only avoid defeat to guarantee first place in their qualifying group. That result would send them through to the tournament finals, to be staged in Albania and Serbia next summer.
