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France will welcome Italy to Parc des Princes in their UEFA Nations League campaign opener on Friday. The hosts failed to make it past the group stage in the previous edition of the competition and the Azzurri secured a third-placed finish.
Les Bleus play for the first time since their 2-1 loss to Spain in the UEFA Euro 2024 semifinals in July. It was their first loss in nine games in all competitions and they will look to bounce back with a win here.
The visitors failed to defend their Euro title in June and, after winning their campaign opener against Albania, they lost two of their next three games. They have failed to score in two of their last three games and will look to improve upon that record.
Les Bleus will conclude their international break against Belgium next week and the Italians will meet Israel on Monday.
France vs Italy Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have a long-standing rivalry and have met 37 times in all competitions. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winners have the upper hand in these meetings with 18 wins. The Euro 2020 winners have 11 wins and eight games have ended in draws.
- They will meet for the first time in the Nations League. They last squared off in a friendly in 2018, which France won 3-1 at home.
- Italy have won just one of their last six meetings against Les Bleus while suffering four losses. Interestingly, they have suffered three consecutive losses against the 2018 World Cup winners, scoring one goal in each.
- The hosts have won just one of their last six games in the Nations League. They have scored five goals in that period while conceding seven times.
- The Azzurri have suffered just two losses in their last nine games in the Nations League.
France vs Italy Prediction
Les Bleus have enjoyed a good defensive form recently, keeping six clean sheets in their last eight games in all competitions. They have just one win in their last six games in the Nations League, with that win coming at home. They have registered three consecutive wins against the visitors, scoring eight goals, and are strong favorites.
Didier Deschamps has called up a strong squad for this match and Michael Olise has earned his first senior call-up, thanks to an impressive performance at the Olympics. Kylian Mbappe leads the lineup and will assume a central role after all-time top scorer Olivier Giroud retired from international football.
The Azzurri enjoyed an unbeaten start to 2024, winning four of their first five games but are winless in their last three, suffering two losses. They have kept six clean sheets in their last seven away games in the Nations League group stage and will look to build on that form.
Nicolò Barella has been left out of the squad due to an injury by Luciano Spalletti while Sandro Tonali returns to the national team after a 10-month absence.
Considering the recent history between the two teams and the home advantage for France, we back the home team to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: France 2-1 Italy
France vs Italy Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - France to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Ousmane Dembele to score or assist any time - Yes
