Paris will host a familiar football tension on Friday night, with Italy arriving for a Nations League meeting against France at 20:45. Roberto Mancini accepts that his side face a steep task, but the Italy coach sees the occasion as a useful measure of a rebuilding team rather than a reason to lower its ambitions.
Mancini dismissed the idea that the fixture should be framed as a personal duel with France coach Zinédine Zidane. “It is a match between two teams, not between Zidane and me,” he said. “These are two great teams in the history of football.” He acknowledged that France currently hold a clear advantage, describing them as strong favourites with a squad packed with high-level talent.
The Italian coach also pointed to the recent contrasting fortunes of the two nations on the world stage. France have performed impressively across the last three World Cups, while Italy were absent from those tournaments. Yet Mancini insisted that a France-Italy encounter carries its own weight, whatever the wider context, and expects a competitive game in the French capital.
Italy come into the match after a 4-1 victory in Bursa, although Mancini warned against drawing excessive conclusions from one result. He felt his team played very well there and said the work is centred on making progress from one fixture to the next. Even in the 2-0 defeat to Belgium, he saw encouraging signs after the interval and did not consider the whole performance disappointing.
For Mancini, facing one of the world’s leading sides is precisely the sort of test Italy need. He said the Nations League groups offer little room for easy assignments, but Friday’s match can show what his players are capable of over the coming months. Above all, he wants Italy to produce a convincing display and play their football in Paris.
Moise Kean remains a fitness concern ahead of kick-off. The forward was rested because of physical discomfort and otherwise would have featured in Bursa. Mancini stressed that Kean is still young and possesses major athletic qualities, with a decision on his availability to be made after assessing him on matchday.
France’s attacking options are another obvious concern. Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué, both central figures in the French domestic game, are among the threats Mancini must plan for, alongside Michael Olise. The Italian coach ended with a joke that underlined the size of the challenge: ideally, he said, all three France attackers would catch a cold.
