Zinedine Zidane begins his tenure as France coach in Turkey on Thursday night, with Les Bleus opening their Nations League campaign at Kocaeli Stadium amid unusually intense attention around the former World Cup winner’s first match in charge.
The opening-round fixture kicks off at 20:45 on 25 September. French supporters who travelled to Turkey gave Zidane a warm welcome as the new coach takes his place on the touchline for the first time.
Zidane starts a new France era
Zidane’s first squad for the September international window included a number of changes, with Eduardo Camavinga returning to the group. An early projected team had placed Mike Maignan in goal, behind Jules Koundé, Dayot Upamecano, Maxence Lacroix and Soumaila Diouf, with Manu Koné, Rayan Cherki and Adrien Rabiot in midfield. Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé were expected to form the attack.
Zidane has also held a private conversation with a Marseille player before naming his first squad, explaining that he wants him to operate from the left rather than as a central striker.
One player has been ruled out for an estimated 15 days after examinations in Madrid confirmed damage to the medial ligament in his right knee. His club believes he should recover in time to face Villarreal.
Teams named for Kocaeli
Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella has selected Bayindir, Kocuk, Topçu, Elmali, Kabak, Kabasakal, Akturkoglu, Gül, Kahveci, Akgün and Simsir.
France’s published selection features Restes, Butez, Kalulu, Yoro, Jacquet, Camavinga, Diouf, Da Cunha, Barcola, Akliouche, Doué and Lepaul.
For Zidane, the occasion is more than the start of a Nations League group programme. His decisions in Kocaeli — from France’s balance in midfield to the shape of an attack entering a new cycle — will set the first tone for a side carrying major expectations into the European autumn.
