Preview for Turkey v France

Zinedine Zidane takes charge of his first game as France coach as they visit Turkey in their UEFA Nations League opener.

Zidane took over from Didier Deschamps, who said farewell to the national team after 14 years in charge following France’s semi-final exit at this summer’s World Cup.

In replacing his former team-mate, alongside whom Zidane won the 1998 World Cup on home soil, Zidane has big shoes to fill.

Indeed, only once under Deschamps did France fail to reach the semi-finals of a major tournament, losing on penalties to Switzerland in the last 16 of Euro 2020.

Les Bleus won the 2018 World Cup and also reached the final of Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup in Deschamps’ decorated tenure.

Zidane’s quest to prove a worthy successor starts at the Kocaeli Stadium in Izmit, as France look to make a winning start to a competition in which they reached the semi-finals in 2025.

France won the Nations League in 2021 and, while there may be a temptation to look at this game as the start of preparations for Euro 2028 in England, Wales, Scotland the Republic of Ireland, that is not how Zidane views it.

 “People will talk about the European Championships and World Cups in 2028 and 2030, but I’m a competitive person and I just want to win,” Zidane said. That’s my only goal, and I aim to instil that in the team.

“As for the match against Turkey, I have nothing else on my mind but winning.”

Turkey, who earned promotion from League B in the previous Nations League tournament, endured a disappointing World Cup campaign. Having entered the tournament as dark horses, they were eliminated from a group featuring hosts United States, Australia and Paraguay.

Despite that humbling experience, Vincenzo Montella was not relieved of his duties as head coach, with the Italian believing his impressive body of work outside of the tournament was key to him keeping his job.

“They didn’t judge me on those two matches, but on all my work,” Montella said in quotes reported by Gazzetta dello Sport.

“When I arrived, we couldn’t qualify for the Euros, and we won the group. We played a great final phase. We went to the World Cup after 24 years. And for the first time, we’re in the Nations League’s top tier. I could have been sacked, but the federation looked beyond: to the future.”

France and Turkey have been drawn alongside Italy and World Cup quarter-finals Belgium a difficult group. Zidane’s men will be favourites, but Montella warned it will be no foregone conclusion as the sides contend for a place in the knockout rounds.

“France has a quality and a pool of players that is unmatched by others: only Spain and perhaps Portugal can compete,” Montella added.

“They lost the semi-final but against Spain: the real disappointments are elsewhere. And with Zidane, they have renewed enthusiasm. But it won’t be easy for them either.”

The UEFA Nations League Table

Team News for Turkey v France

Hakan Calhanoglu and Kenan Yildiz are unavailable through injury for the hosts.

Arsenal centre-back William Saliba is not in the France squad because of injury, and Real Madrid Aurelien Tchouameni was also left out of Zidane’s first squad due to his fitness struggles.

His Madrid team-mate Ibrahima Konate pulled out because of a knee issue, with Manchester Untied’s Lenny Yoro taking his place.

Expected line-ups for Turkey v France

Turkey: Cakir; Celik, Demiral, Bardakci, Elmali; Ozcan, Kokcu, Yuksek; Guler, Yilmaz, Akturkoglu

France: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Lacroix, Truffert; Camavinga, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Doue; Mbappe

Recent Form & Stats for Turkey v France

• Turkey and France have only met three times in competitive fixtures, the last being a 1-1 draw in European Championship qualifying in 2019.
• Both sides have won a game apiece in competitive fixtures, with Turkey prevailing in their other Euros qualifier, while France won 3-2 in the Confederations Cup back in 2003.
• That win for Turkey was the only one they have achieved against Les Bleus, who have won all three of the friendly meetings between the sides.
• France are unbeaten in their last five Nations League group stage matches.
• Since a March, 2023 loss to Croatia in Euro 2024 qualifying, Turkey have lost just one game on home soil, a 6-0 defeat to Spain in September last year.

Where to Watch Turkey v France: TV and online streams

Turkey v France kicks off at 7:45pm UK time. It is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video for a pay-per-view fee of £2.49.

Prediction for Turkey v France

While this game represents a tricky start to Zidane’s reign as France coach, his squad should have enough to come from a stern test.

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