Zidane expects Mbappe to recover as France assess defeat by Italy

Zinedine Zidane says he expects Kylian Mbappe to be available for France’s next match against Turkey after the forward suffered an injury in their 3-1 Nations League defeat by Italy.

Mbappe stayed behind after Thursday’s match at San Siro in Milan to receive treatment. “Yes, I hope so,” France manager Zidane told French television channel TF1 when asked whether the Real Madrid player would face Turkey. “That is why he stayed. I do not think it is anything serious, but the idea is to get him playing.”

France’s defeat was their first on Italian soil since 5 May 1962, when Italy won 2-1 in Florence. Jean-Claude Piumi put France ahead in the 28th minute, but Italy’s Jose Altafini scored twice in the 47th and 51st minutes to secure victory.

The Azzurri had been unable to repeat that success in several subsequent meetings in Italy. France won 3-1 on their previous visit to San Siro in November 2024, also in the Nations League.

Zidane acknowledged that his side had shown some promise despite the result, particularly before half-time.

“There were some good things, especially in the first half, but we lost the game, so there were certainly difficult aspects this evening,” he said.

France struggled in individual battles, according to their manager. “We were not good enough in the duels and one-on-one situations. That is part of the learning process,” he added.

He also said the team lost its defensive organisation after Italy scored their second goal.

“We became disjointed, particularly defensively, as soon as Italy scored their second goal,” Zidane said.

The former France midfielder urged his players not to overreact to the loss and said difficult matches could help the team develop.

“We have to remain calm. It is better to play matches like this now and see how we respond,” he said. “We must not panic. Ryan Cherki is right about that, and I told the players the same thing.”

France also face concerns over Desire Doue, who sustained a dental problem during the match.

“I think one of his teeth was moved out of position, and we will look after him from tomorrow,” Zidane said.

The defeat also produced an unwanted milestone for France defender Dayot Upamecano. France conceded three goals in a match in which he played all of normal time for the first time in his international career.

The previous occasion on which France conceded three goals with Upamecano on the pitch was the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina. However, those goals came across 120 minutes after the match went into extra time, before Argentina won the tournament on penalties.