Under the lights at the Stade de France, Zinédine Zidane kept Italy guessing on Thursday. France’s coach mixed potential starters and substitutes during the final training session before Friday night’s international, leaving the likely line-up for the 20:45 kick-off far from certain.
The clearest sign of that uncertainty came in central defence. Dayot Upamecano worked alongside Leny Yoro in one group, while Jérémy Jacquet formed the other partnership with Maxence Lacroix. The exercise did not provide a definitive answer on who will start against Italy.
Zidane also divided his midfield options unevenly. Adrien Rabiot and Maghnes Akliouche were together in a side containing nine outfield players. On the opposing team, which had ten outfield players, Lucas Da Cunha, Manu Koné and Rayan Cherki were all involved.
The attacking combinations offered the strongest possible clue. Ousmane Dembélé initially trained with Michael Olise, while Désiré Doué was paired with Bradley Barcola. Doué later switched bibs to join Olise and Dembélé, a move that may point towards the front line France will use against Italy.
The final selection will only become clear on Friday evening, but Zidane’s last rehearsal suggested that Dembélé, Olise and Doué could be set to lead the home attack.
