France name bold attacking line-up for Italy as Zinedine Zidane begins home reign without Kylian Mbappe

France have named a youthful starting XI for Zinedine Zidane’s first home match in charge, with Ousmane Dembele leading the attack against historic rivals Italy at the Stade de France.

Zidane’s side arrive in confident mood after opening his tenure with successive 1-0 away victories over Turkey and Belgium. Friday’s meeting with Italy will be his first test in front of France’s home support since taking charge of the national team.

Dembele will be joined in attack by Michael Olise and Desire Doue, with the trio expected to provide France with pace and creativity. Rayan Cherki and Adrien Rabiot will operate in midfield, while Rabiot is also viewed as an important defensive presence for the side.

The line-up has been confirmed without captain and leading forward Kylian Mbappe, who left the current France camp because of injury. His absence is a significant setback for the start of Zidane’s reign, both because of the attacking threat he provides and because supporters had been hoping to see the first on-field meeting between Zidane and France’s leading player at the Stade de France.

Zidane has nevertheless shown his willingness to trust younger players, handing prominent roles to Olise, Doue and Cherki for the match.

France’s starting XI is:

Goalkeeper: Mike Maignan

Defenders: Pierre Kalulu, Jeremy Jacquet, Dayot Upamecano, Quentin Truffier

Midfielders: Rayan Cherki, Da Cunha, Adrien Rabiot

Forwards: Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue

The match kicks off at 20:45 and will be broadcast by TF1. The France team announced the starting line-up on 2 October 2026, ahead of the meeting with Italy.