Possible Starting Lineups for Italy vs France Revealed

Italy will host France at San Siro in the Nations League on Thursday. The match kicks off at 19:45 GMT (20:45 CET). The top two teams in Group A1 will advance to the quarter-finals. Currently France lead with 10 points, Italy are second with 7 points, and Belgium are third with 6 points.

Roberto Mancini is expected to use his usual 4-3-3 formation, but there are some doubts about the starting eleven. Brentford's right-back Kayode appears to have earned his place in the squad. If Arsenal's Calafiori plays at left-back, Inter's Federico Dimarco will start on the bench. Alternatively, there is a chance Calafiori could partner Alessandro Bastoni as a centre-back. In that case, Dimarco could start and Giorgio Scalvini could drop to the bench.

In midfield, the places of Davide Frattesi and Tonali seem certain. Inter's Nicolò Barella is more likely to complete the trio. Up front, Inter striker Pio Esposito is expected to start. His older brother Sebastiano Esposito is the leading candidate on the right wing, while Como's Mattia Liberali is the alternative. On the left wing, Bologna's Nicolò Cambiaghi is reported to be ahead of Luca Koleosho.

France will be without Real Madrid striker Mbappé for this match due to a hamstring injury. It is also recalled that Mbappé did not play in the 1-1 draw in Paris on 2 October. France are also missing Marcus Thuram, Pierre Kalulu, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Manu Koné, William Saliba, Jules Koundé, Maxence Lacroix, Ousmane Dembélé, Maghnes Akliouche and Esteban Lepaul. As a result, Michael Olise is expected to take on more responsibility in attack.

In the final round of the group, Italy and Belgium will meet in Brussels. France, meanwhile, will host Türkiye, who are bottom of the group.