France vs. Italy: Where to watch on TV, latest team news and probable line-ups

MILAN, ITALY - NOVEMBER 17: Nicolo Barella of Italy runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Manu Kone of France during the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League A Group A2 match between Italy and France at San Siro on November 17, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Italy face their biggest test of Roberto Mancini’s second spell in charge of the national team away against France in the Nations League on Friday evening, and pre-match reports indicate that both Riccardo Calafiori and Nicolo Barella are set to return to the starting line-up. 

Kick-off this evening is due at 19.45 BST.

Mancini got his second spell as head coach of the Italy national team underway with a 2-0 defeat on home soil against Belgium last Friday, but bounced back with a more encouraging 4-1 victory away against Vincenzo Montella’s Turkey on Monday. 

The Azzurri are in Paris and are preparing to take on France in what will be Zinedine Zidane’s first home match at the Stade de France since taking over as head coach from Didier Deschamps over the summer. Les Bleues have beaten both Turkey and France away from home by 1-0 scorelines over the last week. 

Mancini originally named a squad of 34 players for the extra-long September-October international break, but that was cut down to 32 after Nicolo Zaniolo and Giacomo Raspadori withdrew from the camp without being replaced. 

Teams are only allowed to name 23 players in their matchday squads in the Nations League, though, which meant that another nine players had to be dropped. 

Massimo Pessina, Diego Coppola, Daniele Ghilardi, Honest Ahanor, Eddy Kouadio, Alessandro Romano, Rolando Mandragora, Nicolo Cambiaghi and Samuele Inacio have not travelled. 

As of Friday, Ahanor is no longer part of the squad and will instead be available to the Italy U21s ahead of a crucial European Championship qualifier against Poland on Monday night. 

Italy squad to take on France

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marco Carnesecchi, Guglielmo Vicario. 

Defenders: Michael Kayode, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Riccardo Calafiori, Alessandro Bastoni, Giorgio Scalvini, Gianluca Mancini, Matteo Ruggeri.

Midfielders: Samuele Ricci, Sandro Tonali, Nicolo Fagioli, Nicolo Barella, Issa Doumbia, Davide Frattesi. 

Forwards: Pio Esposito, Moise Kean, Gianluca Scamacca, Mohamed Ali Zoma, Daniel Maldini, Sebastiano Esposito, Antonio Vergara. 

Italy team news

Following the 4-1 win away against Turkey earlier this week, it looks as though Gianluigi Donnarumma, Michael Kayode, Giorgio Scalvini and Alessandro Bastoni will keep their places at the back, with Calafiori set to replace Matteo Ruggeri at left-back. There is a chance that Gianluca Mancini is preferred to Scalvini on the right side of centre-back and a small chance of Giovanni Di Lorenzo being selected at right-back. 

Barella is set to return to the midfield three, likely alongside Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Fagioli, although Davide Frattesi is also hoping for a starting spot after his goalscoring display in Bursa earlier this week. 

There are a few more doubts in attack. There had been suggestions that Moise Kean would be given his first start of the international break at centre-forward, but the latest updates from Sky claim that his condition will need to be assessed and that Pio Esposito is more likely to keep hold of his starting spot. 

He will likely be joined by his brother Sebastiano in the Italy attack, with either Daniel Maldini or debutant Antonio Vergara on the right wing. 

France (4-3-3): Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Jacquet, Truffert; Cherki, Kone, Rabiot; Olise, Dembele, Doue.

Italy (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Kayode, Scalvini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Barella, Tonali, Fagioli; Vergara, P. Esposito, S. Esposito. 

Where to watch France vs. Italy on TV

Tonight’s game will be available to watch live in the UK on Amazon Prime. Supporters in the USA are able to tune in via Fox Sports 1 and through fuboTV. France vs. Italy will be shown on DAZN and fuboTV in Canada and on beIN Sports 3 in Australia. 

Join us for all the pre-match build-up, in-game coverage and post-match reactions on the Football Italia Liveblog.