Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the UEFA Nations League match
France's commendable performance at Euro 2024 allowed Didier Deschamps to retain his position as head coach. Similarly, Italy didn't make any hasty decisions regarding Luciano Spalletti, as the former Zenit and championship-winning Napoli coach continues to address the personnel issues facing the team.
France
Despite scoring only four goals from open play in six matches at the European Championship, France never left any doubts about their attacking potential. For instance, against Poland (1:1), Kylian Mbappe, Bradley Barcola, and Ousmane Dembélé collectively created plenty of chances, with 2.41xG from 19 shots, proving that the French side is extremely dangerous. Didier Deschamps is likely to maintain his system—focusing on Mbappe's bursts forward to create opportunities.
Italy
Italy, possibly burdened by their status as the reigning European champions, have retained only a few players from their golden squad. While they managed to salvage a draw against Croatia in the group stage (1:1), they were thoroughly outplayed in the Round of 16 by Switzerland (0:2, and 10:16 on shots). Luciano Spalletti’s current squad is so raw that he had to call up Sandro Tonali, who has been without match practice since last November.
France - Italy Prediction
Over the past 10 years, France have defeated Italy twice in friendlies (both 3:1). In Paris, the French side is expected to secure a victory over their struggling rivals.
