Zidane's first France match is Friday in İzmit. Türkiye will be without Çalhanoğlu and Yıldız.
Zinedine Zidane takes charge of France for the first time in Friday's Nations League opener in İzmit, where Türkiye are missing Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Kenan Yıldız.
Türkiye host France in İzmit on Friday, Zinedine Zidane's first match in charge. Kickoff at the Kocaeli Stadium is 9.45pm local, 2.45pm ET and 11.45am PT. 1 The game opens League A Group 1, with Italy and Belgium the other two teams. 2
What France bring
Zidane was asked whether taking charge for the first time felt as special as his playing debut. "Even more so, maybe," he said. "I feel an immense emotion being at the head of this France team." 3
Mbappé, France's captain, missed training with flu on Tuesday; Zidane said on Thursday that he is fine and ready to play. 4 William Saliba, Théo Hernández and Warren Zaïre-Emery are injured, and Ibrahima Konaté went back to Real Madrid with a knee sprain after Wednesday's session. 25 Leny Yoro, up from the under-21s, is one of six players who could win a first France cap, and France have scored first in eight of their last ten. 25
What Türkiye bring
Türkiye went out of the World Cup in the group stage, beating the United States 3-2 and losing to Australia and Paraguay. 1 Their coach, Vincenzo Montella, is without Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Kenan Yıldız, Mert Müldür and Orkun Kökçü, with Deniz Gül and Yunus Akgün doubtful. 2 Arda Güler carries the creativity instead, and Türkiye have conceded first in four of their last five games. 2 Türkiye's 2-0 home win in Euro 2020 qualifying is their only win in the three most recent meetings. 2
Verdict: France should win this, and Mbappé scoring early is the likeliest way; the counterweight is a Kocaeli crowd and a France defence missing Saliba, Konaté and Théo Hernández. 2
Quote of the Day
"His aura means he commands a lot of attention. In a way, it's a good thing that the focus is more on the coach than the players. It gives them a bit more peace and quiet." — Adrien Rabiot, France midfielder 3
References
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