France need at least a point to guarantee a quarter-final place and will seek a response to their defeat as they host Turkiye in Bordeaux.
France enter the final round of Group A1 fixtures second in their group, with 10 points from five matches. Zinedine Zidane’s side are level on points with group leaders Italy, who hold the advantage through their superior head-to-head record, while Belgium sit third on nine points, meaning this could be a tight end to the group stages in the upcoming fixtures.
Les Bleus were beaten 3-1 by Italy in their most recent outing, despite taking an early lead through Michael Olise. That defeat has left France needing to avoid defeat against Turkiye to secure their place in the quarter-finals, although a win would keep alive their hopes of topping the group if Italy fail to beat Belgium.
France have a strong historical record against Turkiye, winning five of their seven previous meetings. Their only defeat came in European Championship qualifying in June 2019, while they claimed a 1-0 win when the sides met at the end of September, with Kylian Mbappe scoring the only goal.
Turkiye arrive in Bordeaux already assured of fourth place in Group A1, having lost all five of their matches in the section. Sergen Yalcin’s side began with a 1-0 defeat to France in September before suffering two losses each to Italy and Belgium, leaving them bottom of the table on zero points.
The visitors have scored just three goals and conceded 13 across their five group fixtures, underlining the difficulties they have faced throughout the campaign. They were beaten 2-1 at home by Belgium last time out, despite taking an early lead, and have now lost seven of their last eight matches in all competitions.
While relegation to League B awaits, Turkiye can still influence the group’s outcome. Yalcin will want his side to end a difficult campaign on a positive note, and their attacking talent, and take advantage of France’s recent result as a measure to inflict more problems on the hosts.
All eyes will be on skipper Kylian Mbappe and his fitness, as Zidane will be hopeful that his star man will be available after missing the defeat to Italy with muscular discomfort. The captain remains doubtful, but France are optimistic that he could return to lead the attack against Turkiye.
William Saliba, Aurelien Tchouameni and Ousmane Dembele are unavailable through injury, while Dayot Upamecano has left the France camp for personal reasons and will not feature. Jules Kounde, Pierre Kalulu, Maxence Lacroix, Maghnes Akliouche, Marcus Thuram and Esteban Lepaul are also absent, meaning Zidane must find the right balance in defence for this upcoming clash.
Zidane could make changes from the side that faced Italy, with Ibrahima Konate and Eduardo Camavinga both in contention to start. France are expected to use a 4-2-3-1 system, with Mike Maignan in goal, a back four featuring the under-fire Malo Gusto and Adrien Truffert. Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki will keep their spots and support star man Mbappe if he does start as expected.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Gusto, Jacquet, Konate, Truffert; Camavinga, Rabiot; Olise, Cherki, Doue; Mbappe
Turkiye welcomes back Abdulkerim Bardakci after he served a suspension following the defeat to Belgium. However, fellow centre-back Ozan Kabak is now unavailable due to yellow-card accumulation, adding to Yalcin’s defensive concerns.
Kenan Yildiz is a significant absentee through injury, while Mert Muldur, Adil Demirbag and Aral Simsir are also unavailable. Hakan Calhanoglu, Zeki Celik and Can Uzun could all be recalled for the trip to France, giving Yalcin additional experience and options in midfield and attack.
Yalcin will set up in a 4-2-3-1 shape, with Ugurcan Cakir in goal and Merih Demiral partnering Bardakci at centre-back. Arda Guler will be central to their creative threat, with Kenan Yilmaz and Kerem Akturkoglu or Akgun offering width, while Enes Unal is expected to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Cakir; Aydin, Bardakci, Demiral, Kadioglu; Yuksek, Kokcu; Akgun, Guler, Yilmaz; Unal
One game without the talismanic forward exposed a lot of frailties in this France attack, even with the likes of Barcola, Cherki and Olise being present on the pitch. Mbappe’s importance is huge for this side, and Zidane must have realised it against Italy.
The Real Madrid star is expected to return to action against Turkiye, with Zidane certainly hoping he could fire them back to winning ways on Sunday. Should Mbappe return to the pitch and continue his goalscoring form, it will certainly underscore his importance to this team, and why he is one of the best there is in the world.
France should have enough quality to secure the three points they need, particularly if Mbappe returns to the starting lineup. Turkiye’s defensive record and poor recent form are major concerns, although Guler’s creativity could help them score against a France defence that has shown frailties of late.
Turkiye, however, have been abysmal so far this season, and may face another big challenge to hurt this French side desperate to bounce back from a disappointing loss. Overall, the hosts are expected to collect three points with comfort and pile up the misery on their visitors.
