France and Italy meet Friday, October 2, at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis for the third matchday of the Nations League. It will be France’s first home game in this edition after two consecutive away trips.
Zinedine Zidane’s side arrives atop the group with a perfect record. France opened with a 1-0 win over Turkey in Kocaeli and three days later beat Belgium by the same score in Brussels thanks to a Michael Olise goal late in the match. But Les Bleus will be without their captain: Mbappé was injured after scoring against Turkey and left the camp.
Italy, meanwhile, arrives recovered after a difficult start in Roberto Mancini’s second spell. They lost 2-0 to Belgium in their debut but responded with a 4-1 rout of Turkey, with goals from Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi, Michael Kayode and Francesco Pio Esposito.
The match will be played in Paris, France, at the Stade de France on Friday, October 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 14:45 US Eastern, 12:45 Mexico, 20:45 Spain. Jesús Gil Manzano of Spain will referee.
Fans in the United States, Mexico and Spain have different ways to follow the match. In the United States, the game can be seen on Fox Sports 1, while fuboTV and ViX will offer streaming alternatives. FOX One will also be available as another option to access the match live. In Mexico, supporters can follow the duel on Sky Sports Mexico. The Sky+ platform will allow streaming, while izzi users will also have an alternative to access the broadcast. In Spain, the match will be available through DAZN Spain, which will offer coverage of the Nations League third matchday.
Before the high-voltage UEFA Nations League clash with France, Mancini warned that the Azzurri will never settle for a conservative approach. Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, the coach expressed his determination to go for the game against the Group A leader. Mancini said: “It will certainly be a great match against a great team, full of extraordinary players, but we always want to give a good image and we will do everything possible. When you face such strong teams, you never play not to win, so naturally we must always play looking for victory. After that, anything can happen in a match.”
Preparing for such a monumental task has not been easy for Mancini, who has had to deal with a squad depleted by injury departures of Giacomo Raspadori and Nicolo Zaniolo. The coach also chose to leave behind a group of nine players to train in Coverciano, among them Samuele Inacio, Alessandro Romano, Honest Ahanor, Nicolo Cambiaghi, Diego Coppola, Daniele Ghilardi, Eddy Kouadio, Rolando Mandragora and Massimo Pessina.
Despite these setbacks, the coach remains optimistic about the depth of his squad and the potential of those involved to step up on the big stage. The group’s tactical flexibility will be tested, especially after a period of intense travel and matches. Mancini admitted to having some headaches with the selection as kickoff approaches. He said: “I have some doubts, we will evaluate tomorrow morning to see how some have recovered after Bursa.”
One of the big talking points around Italy’s camp is who will lead the attack in Paris. Asked about his offensive options and specifically about the possibility of Pio Esposito or Moise Kean starting up front, Mancini introduced a surprise option by pointing to Gianluca Scamacca as a real candidate for the starting spot. The coach made clear that fans should expect a more settled lineup this time. Mancini told journalists: “Or Scamacca? We will make fewer changes than we saw in Bursa, that is certain.”
This approach indicates a desire for continuity as Italy seeks to close the gap with France, which currently leads the group after two consecutive 1-0 wins. After facing France, Italy will return home to host Turkey in the final match of the current international break. The Azzurri hope to secure their place in the quarterfinals, after reaching that same round last season before suffering a dramatic 5-4 aggregate defeat to Germany.
