Stade de France is the venue as France and Italy go head-to-head in a blockbuster UEFA Nations League showdown. Friday’s encounter in Paris could be an opportunity for the Azzurri to overtake Zinedine Zidane’s side at the summit of Group A1.
Zidane has enjoyed a flawless start to his tenure at the national team, but it’s been far from convincing. France followed up a narrow 1-0 win in Turkey with an identical away triumph over Belgium to claim the top spot in the group. Michael Olise emerged as Les Bleus‘ hero in Brussels, netting a superb 90th-minute winner.
On the other hand, Italy bounced back from a dismal 2-0 home defeat to Belgium last time out. Roberto Mancini’s side got off the mark in this season’s competition with a thumping 4-1 victory against Turkey in Bursa, setting themselves up perfectly for this heavyweight clash.
However, the odds still favor France ahead of kick-off, with bettors searching for the best online casinos for real money also keeping a close eye on the latest match markets. Connoisseurs of action-packed football will look forward to this fixture, given that the last four meetings between France and Italy have produced a 3-1 scoreline.
Final Score
Seeking a place in the Nations League knockouts for the third time in the last four editions, France will be keen to build on their strong start. There’s no better place to maintain their winning streak under Zidane than Paris, as they bring a six-game unbeaten home run into this match (W5, D1).
France can draw further confidence from beating Italy in three of their last four encounters. Yet, the Azzurri will be out to turn the tables on Les Bleus, perhaps inspired by their high-flying away form in this competition. They’ve won five consecutive Nations League away games.
A fast start would significantly help the visitors defy the odds here, and after breaking the deadlock in nine of their last ten outings, they have every reason to feel optimistic. That said, France have kept five clean sheets across their last six home internationals, highlighting just how challenging it could be for Italy to get on the scoresheet.
Over/Under Market
As mentioned above, recent meetings between these two European giants have produced plenty of drama. With each of Italy’s last five matches against France featuring over 2.5 goals, it’s reasonable to expect another goal-friendly fixture.
Furthermore, both teams scored in all five of those games, suggesting this could be an open-ended contest. Given the attacking quality that’s expected to take the field on Friday, another entertaining clash could be on the cards.
Players to Watch
Zidane won’t have Kylian Mbappe at his disposal after the Real Madrid superstar suffered a minor injury against Belgium. As such, all eyes will be on Olise, who has scored seven of his last eight goals for club and country in the second half.
Inter starlet Francesco Pio Esposito is likely to lead the line for Italy after finding the net against Turkey. The 21-year-old has been in fine form at the start of the season, registering two goals and one assist in five Serie A matches.
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
