Italy are expected to hand Moise Kean a starting role against France on Friday, despite late concerns about the forward’s fitness.
Roberto Mancini’s side face France in the Nations League at the Stade de France, with kick-off scheduled for 19.45 BST. The match will be Zinedine Zidane’s first home game since he replaced Didier Deschamps as head coach of Les Bleues.
Italy arrive in Paris after contrasting results during the international break. They lost 2-0 at home to Belgium last Friday before responding with a 4-1 away victory against Turkey on Monday. France, meanwhile, have recorded successive 1-0 away wins over Turkey and Belgium.
There remain three significant selection questions for Mancini, concerning the centre-back pairing, the third midfielder and the composition of the attack.
Michael Kayode and Riccardo Calafiori are expected to occupy the full-back positions. Alessandro Bastoni is set to start in central defence, with either Giorgio Scalvini or Gianluca Mancini likely to partner him.
Nicolo Fagioli has been allocated the number 10 shirt for the game and is expected to line up in midfield alongside Sandro Tonali. The remaining place in the three-man midfield is still uncertain, with Nicolo Barella and Davide Frattesi the two candidates.
The attacking line has been the subject of the most speculation in the build-up to the match. Several possible combinations involving Moise Kean, Pio Esposito, Sebastiano Esposito, Daniel Maldini and Antonio Vergara have been discussed in reports from Italy.
Sebastiano Esposito is the expected constant in the forward line and is set to retain his place after starting the victory over Turkey.
His brother Pio Esposito has also started Italy’s last two matches, prompting questions over whether he would be rested after playing twice in the space of a week. Kean’s fitness has provided another concern, with late reports suggesting Gianluca Scamacca could instead be involved from the start.
However, the latest information from Sky Sport Italia on Friday afternoon indicates that Kean is likely to feature in the front three. He is expected to play alongside Sebastiano Esposito, with either Pio Esposito or Scamacca selected as the central striker.
Italy’s predicted line-up is:
(4-3-3): Donnarumma; Kayode, Scalvini or Mancini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Barella or Frattesi, Tonali, Fagioli; Kean, Pio Esposito or Scamacca, Sebastiano Esposito.