France vs Italy

Familiar foes France and Italy go up against each other in their opening game of the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League Group A/2 at the Parc des Princes.

France failed to live up to expectations at Euro 2024, suffering a well-deserved 2-1 defeat to eventual winners Spain in the semi-finals. Didier Deschamps’ men were lucky to get that far in the competition, considering they only scored three goals in their first four matches, never netting more than once per game. Deschamps has recognized the need to refresh his options, handing maiden call-ups to Roma’s Manu Kone and Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise, hopeful they could bring Les Bleus back on track. Despite their recent struggles, the 2018 World Cup winners head into proceedings as favorites after beating Italy in their last three meetings. All those matches saw both teams on the scoresheet before halftime, highlighting the potential for an action-packed start.

Meanwhile, Italy’s hopes of defending their European title hit a brick wall in Germany as Switzerland comfortably thrashed them 2-0 in the round of 16 after they squeaked into the knockout stages as runners-up behind Spain. These are rough times for Italian football as they seek redemption for missing out on back-to-back World Cups and two third-place finishes in the last two Nations League editions. Luciano Spalletti’s men have fared reasonably well in this competition, losing just two of their previous 16 group-stage fixtures (W7, D7). However, they come into this clash amid a three-game winless run (D1, L2), but safe in the knowledge they won their last competitive encounter against France, though it did arrive 16 years ago.