France's rise in Italy despite Mbappé's absence

After a successful start as head coach, Zinedine Zidane faces the decisive step into the quarter‑finals of the UEFA Nations League with France, as Catherine Steenkeste reports for Reuters. In Milan, the “Les Bleus” will have to do without the injured superstar Kylian Mbappé on Thursday at 20:45, but against Italy a single point is enough for promotion.

Group standings and squad decisions

Belgium sits in a holding pattern. France tops Group A1 with ten points after three wins and a draw, ahead of Italy with seven and Belgium with six points; Turkey remains winless at the bottom of the table. The Italians handed the French their only points loss so far away in early October; a defeat could now see the “Azzurri” fall behind Belgium.

Belgium play earlier at 18:00 in Turkey. Zidane had problems on the full‑back positions, which led him to an unusual measure. He called up Sael Kumbedi, who plays for VfL Wolfsburg, the 21‑year‑old who has been the first second‑division professional in the French national squad since 2006.

At that time David Trezeguet and Jean‑Alain Boumsong played for Juventus, which was forcibly relegated because of the Calciopoli scandal. For the first time the attacking players Pablo Pagis from Paris FC as well as the youth talents Eli Junior Kroupi from FC Bournemouth and Senny Mayulu from Paris Saint‑Germain were called up. In addition to Mbappé, the injured Ousmane Dembélé, Marcus Thuram, Jules Koundé and William Saliba are also absent.

Zidane chooses Pablo Pagis: from depression to French debut

The attacking unit around Michael Olise and Desire Doué can nevertheless be counted on in any case. Mbappé is no longer out; the 27‑year‑old suffers from a thigh injury that Zidane describes as “a little pinch, a minor thing” and is expected to be healed by Sunday.

Italy’s promotion chances and competition

The hosts rely on the resurgence under Roberto Mancini; after a 0‑2 defeat to Belgium, they recorded convincing wins over Turkey and a 1‑1 draw in Paris. In attack Italy builds on the Esposito brothers Sebastiano and Pio.

Mbappé keeps his distance from Zidane to avoid speculation

In the battle for one of the two promotion spots to the quarter‑finals, Belgium also wants to stay in the mix and is hoping for a points loss by the Italians. Should the “Squadra Azzurra” win, the side coached by Mark van Bommel at the Gürsel Aksel Stadium in Izmir cannot afford a defeat; the Turks, after the dismissal of Vincenzo Montella, are hoping for a fresh start under Sergen Yalcin and are especially relying on the creative spark of Real’s youngster Arda Güler.