Zinedine Zidane names France team for first match against Turkiye

Zinedine Zidane will begin his tenure as France manager when Les Bleus visit Turkiye on Friday in their opening UEFA Nations League fixture.

The match marks Zidane’s first in charge of the national side and his return to the spotlight almost 20 years after retiring as a player. He has made several notable choices in his first starting XI.

Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, Maxence Lacroix and Adrien Truffert form the French defence, with Truffert making his first start for France.

France’s midfield consists of Desire Doue, Manu Kone and Adrien Rabiot, while Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe make up the attack in a formation resembling 4-3-3.

Turkiye are expected to line up with Mert Gunok in goal. He will be protected by Zeki Celik, Merih Demiral, Abdulkerim Bardakcı and Ferdi Kadıoglu.

Ismail Yuksek and Salih Ozcan are set to operate in the holding roles, with Arda Guler, Orkun Kokcu and Can Uzun playing behind striker Burak Yılmaz in a 4-2-3-1 system.