Zinedine Zidane will begin a new chapter in his managerial career when France travel to face Turkiye in his first game at the international level.
Having failed miserably at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Turkiye will look to restore some pride when they host France at Kocaeli Stadyumu, who ended up finishing fourth in the global event, on Friday night.
The home team had a disaster of a World Cup as they were knocked out of the group stage. In their first-ever appearance at the global stage since 2002, Turkiye failed to fire as they lost to Austria and Paraguay before securing all three points against the USA. However, it was not enough to get them into the knockout rounds.
Vincenzo Montella’s team will have to punch above their weight to book a place in the quarter-finals, as they find themselves in a group alongside France, Italy and Belgium. While this Nations League campaign will be a tough test, Turkiye do have the quality to put up a strong fight.
Meanwhile, the visitors could only manage a fourth-placed finish at the World Cup. While the result was not catastrophic, France were one of the favourites to win the tournament, and they would certainly be disappointed with how things panned out after reaching the penultimate stage.
They lost the semi-final to eventual winners Spain and before facing England in a goal-fest in the third-place match, which the Three Lions won. While it was a blow, it is a story of the past, and they will look to kick-start this new era under Zidane in the best possible way. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Turkiye
The home team are without two of their biggest stars, Hakan Calhanoglu and Kenan Yildiz. Apart from the duo, every other pivotal figure will be available for selection, including Real Madrid’s Arda Guler.
Turkiye are expected to line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Ugurcan Cakir starting between the sticks. Zeki Celik and Eren Elmali should feature as the full-backs, while Merih Demiral is likely to pair up with Abdulkerim Bardakci in the heart of the defence.
In midfield, Salih Ozcan, Orkun Kokcu and Ismail Yuksek should form the central trio. The three midfielders will look to ensure France midfielders do not run the show.
Arda Guler and Kerem Akturkoglu are expected to occupy the wide areas. They will provide width to their attacks and look to create chances for Baris Alper Yilmaz, who will lead the line for Turkiye against France on Friday.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Cakir; Celik, Demiral, Bardakci, Elmali; Ozcan, Kokcu, Yuksek; Guler, Yilmaz, Akturkoglu
France
William Saliba remains on the sidelines due to the back injury he sustained at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while Aurelien Tchouameni has not been called up because of his recent fitness issues. While Zinedine Zidane could go ahead with a new-look midfield, he certainly has the firepower up front to dominate any team in world football.
France are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Mike Maignan starting between the sticks. Jules Kounde and Adrien Truffert could feature as the full-backs, while Dayot Upamecano is likely to line up alongside Ibrahima Konate in the heart of the defence.
In midfield, Eduardo Camavinga and Adrien Rabiot should form the double pivot. The duo will look to control possession and dictate the tempo while also providing protection to the backline.
Kylian Mbappe could be deployed on the left flank under Zidane, with Michael Olise taking charge on the opposite flank. Rayan Cherki, who sat on the sidelines for most of the World Cup, could get a start here in the number ten role.
The trio will look to create chances and provide support to Ousmane Dembele, who is expected to lead the line for France against Turkiye at Kocaeli Stadyumu on Friday night.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Konate, Truffert; Camavinga, Rabiot; Olise, Cherki, Mbappe; Dembele
Key Stats
- France won the UEFA Nations League in the 2020/21 edition, and finished third last time out.
- Turkiye have been involved in 24 Nations League fixtures so far. They have won 11, lost seven and played out a draw on six occasions.
- The two teams have faced each other on six occasions in the past. Turkiye have won just once of those games, which was a 2-0 success in a European Championship qualifier in June 2019.
- When the two teams last met, they played out a 1-1 draw in the European Championship qualifier in October 2019.
- France last defeated Turkiye back in June 2009.
Player to Watch
Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe might not have been in the best of form in recent weeks, but overall he has been quite a consistent performer in recent years. The Real Madrid ace was their standout performer at the World Cup and even won the Golden Boot.
While he has 66 goals in his 106 caps for France and he has been doing wonders for them as a striker, recent reports suggest Zidane could deploy him on the left to make his team even more threatening from wide areas and allowing Mbappe to have a bigger impact on games.
Prediction
Turkiye 0-3 France
Turkiye will have the advantage of playing at home, but missing Hakan Calhanoglu and Kenan Yildiz is a significant blow ahead of a game against France. Arda Guler could still cause problems for the visitors, but Turkiye will need a near-perfect defensive performance to keep France’s attacking players quiet.
France will be keen to begin the Zinedine Zidane era with a convincing victory and have enough quality across the pitch to control the game. Mbappe could prove particularly difficult to contain from the left, while Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, and Desire Doue should give the hosts plenty to think about in the final third.
Turkiye may make things difficult for periods, but France should eventually have too much quality. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for the away team.
