Turkiye vs. France—Nations League: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

France plays its first fixture under new manager Zinedine Zidane when taking on Türkiye in its UEFA Nations League opener on Friday.

Didier Deschamps departed after finishing fourth at the 2026 World Cup and Zidane finally took the position he’s waited so long for. The legendary French midfielder had been out of work for five years following two remarkable stints with Real Madrid, patiently waiting for a chance to coach Les Bleus.

Zidane will be desperate to make a winning start to his reign against awkward opposition, with Belgium and Italy residing alongside Türkiye in France’s Nations League group. This is the first of four matches the 54-year-old will oversee during an extended three-week international period.

Türkiye resisted the temptation to change their head coach after an extremely underwhelming World Cup campaign which saw them crash out of the group stage behind the USMNT, Australia and Paraguay. Vincenzo Montella will demand mass improvements from his players ahead of a battle with the two-time world champions on home soil.

Türkiye vs. France Score Prediction

Zidane Clinches Debut Victory

Kylian Mbappé — France enters a new era with a raft of superstars. | Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/Getty Images

“I know what the fans want to see: to keep watching the France national team winning matches,” Zidane enthused last week. Well, few past coaches of Les Bleus have been handed a tougher start to their tenure with the Türkiye clash followed by meetings with Italy and Belgium (twice).

This international window should offer a strong indicator as to what Zidane’s France will look like. Accused of being carried by a generational roster as Real Madrid boss, now is his opportunity to set out a clear style and direction for his team.

Of course, he once again boasts a plethora of superstars. Kylian Mbappé leads a familiar all-star offense containing Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, Michael Olise and Désiré Doué, while there’s no shortage of talent in defense and midfield.

That firepower should prove too much for Türkiye, even if Arda Güler performs at his peak. While there are expected to be some teething problems early in the Zidane era, he should begin with victory.

Head-to-head record: It’s been seven years since these sides last clashed, but it’s Türkiye who secured a win and draw during qualification for Euro 2020. Les Bleus had won the previous four meetings, however, dating back to the first battle in 1996.
France momentum: While the 2020–21 Nations League champion lost its final two matches at the World Cup, including a 10-goal thriller against England, the record over the past 18 months is mightily impressive. The team has won 15 of the last 19 games in all competitions.
Türkiye resistance: Despite a disappointing World Cup, Türkiye is also in fine form over the past year. It has won nine of the last 13 matches in total, although the team lost 6–0 at home against Spain last September.

Prediction: Türkiye 1–2 France

Türkiye Predicted Lineup vs. France

Türkiye’s task is made all the harder by the absences of Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Kenan Yıldız through injury, meaning Montella will be without two key performers and 139 caps worth of experience.

Elsewhere, Kaan Ayhan, Çağlar Söyüncü and Mert Müldür are all missing in defense from the World Cup roster, with the latter sidelined with a meniscus injury until later this year.

Okan Kocuk, Adil Demirbağ, Bartuğ Elmaz, Melih Kabasakal and İlhan Fakılı are all hoping to make their senior debuts across the next four matches.

Montella will lean on the creativity of Güler against France, with the playmaker coming up against several of his Real Madrid clubmates.

Türkiye predicted lineup vs. France (4-3-3): Çakır; Çelik, Demiral, Bardakcı, Kadıoğlu; Kökçü, Özcan, Yüksek; Güler, Yılmaz, Aktürkoğlu.

France Predicted Lineup vs. Türkiye

Zidane was already without William Saliba in the heart of his defense, but his options were further depleted by Ibrahima Konaté pulling out of the squad through injury. Manchester United’s Leny Yoro has replaced the Real Madrid defender.

Aurélien Tchouaméni was omitted after only just returning from injury, while Lucas Digne, Malo Gusto, N’Golo Kanté and Marcus Thuram have all been dropped from the roster.

There is a recall for Bournemouth’s Adrien Truffert, who should immediately come into the XI at left back, while Eduardo Camavinga has also been selected again after missing the World Cup.

Yoro, Jérémy Jacquet, Esteban Lepaul, Lucas Da Cunha and Andy Diouf are all outfield players hopeful of making their debuts.

Zidane has hinted at using Mbappé from the left-hand side for France, with Dembélé instead operating in the false nine role which has brought him so much success at Paris Saint-Germain. However, it remains to be seen if those changes will take place against Türkiye.

France predicted lineup vs. Türkiye (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Lacroix, Truffert; Rabiot, Camavinga; Dembélé, Olise, Doué; Mbappé.

What Time Does Türkiye vs. France Kick Off?

Location: İzmit, Türkiye
Stadium: Turka Kocaeli Stadium
Date: Friday, Sept. 25
Kick-off Time: 7:45 p.m. BST / 2:45 p.m. ET / 11:45 a.m. PT
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)

How to Watch Türkiye vs. France on TV, Live Stream

Country	TV Channel/Live Stream
United States	fuboTV, ViX
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada
Mexico	Sky Sports Mexico, Sky+, izzi
United Kingdom	Amazon Prime Video

MORE: Full list of UEFA Nations League broadcasters around the world

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