Odds courtesy of TonyBet.
France vs Italy Odds
Soccer betting sportsbooks have priced France as a heavy -228 moneyline favorite for this clash, while the Italians return as a +560 road underdog. A draw sits at +420 odds, and the O/U is priced at 3.5 goals.
Les Bleus have dominated Italy in recent memory, winning four of the last five meetings dating back to November of 2012.
France vs Italy Analysis
France have enjoyed themselves in the early stages of Zidane’s tenure as their new boss, sitting at the top of this group with a perfect six points. Les Bleus beat Turkey on matchday one, and despite Zidane making a flurry of changes to his lineup against Belgium, they still managed to walk away with three points in another 1-0 victory. Bayern Munich star Michael Olise produced the goods against the Red Devils, bagging the winner in the 88th minute with a fantastic solo goal.
Zidane’s side are sitting pretty heading into this game, and their next two Nations League fixtures will be on home soil, which undoubtedly gives the European giants a leg-up. Italy has been very inconsistent since winning Euro 2020, and with Zidane likely to choose his best starting XI on Friday, that’s playing a huge part in the hosts being such a dramatic favorite.
Winning a major tournament then missing out on the last two World Cups isn’t something we typically see from any team in international football, but that’s exactly the situation that Italy find themselves in. The Azzurri are looking to turn around their fortunes and make something of this Nations League campaign, but it’s been a mixed bag so far.
Belgium handed them defeat on matchday one, but the Italians responded with authority against Turkey, going up three goals to the good by the 27th minute. Four different players found the back of the net, with Inter Milan forward Francesco Pio Esposito scoring and providing an assist. It was an exhilarating attacking performance from Roberto Mancini’s group, but they will have a much tougher assignment on Friday against a French backline that has yet to concede while allowing just five shots on target.
France vs Italy Injury News
France are without captain Kylian Mbappé after he suffered a knee injury in the 1-0 victory over Turkey on Matchday 1. Ibrahima Konaté is also unavailable after suffering a knee sprain in training and has been replaced in the squad by Leny Yoro.
Italy have several absentees of their own. Giacomo Raspadori has withdrawn from the squad after picking up an injury, while Nicolò Zaniolo, Federico Dimarco and Bryan Cristante are also unavailable for Friday's clash.
France vs Italy Picks
Even without Mbappe, France still has a plethora of attacking options who can do damage. While Italy did show promise in the final third on Monday, the French defense is a different beast. I’ll take the hosts to win and keep another clean sheet.
Pick: France win to nil +175/TonyBet
