The Zinedine Zidane era begins as he returns to the dugout five years after last managing Real Madrid. The first step will come against a troubled Turkey side, following the Crescent-Stars’ disappointing performance at the World Cup.
Zinedine Zidane has big shoes to fill, having taken over from Didier Deschamps after 14 years at the helm of France and trophies from the World Cup and the UEFA Nations League.
Every football fan knows what Zidane achieved at Real Madrid with three consecutive Champions League titles, so there's little reason for concern.
Not to mention that France have such an out-of-this-world squad that they should be able to beat most national teams, no matter who’s in the dugout.
Turkey’s progress in recent years has been evident, and following successive promotions, they will be competing against the top teams in League A in this edition of the tournament.
At the same time, however, they need to make amends to their fans following their early exit from the World Cup. We cannot even say anything positive about their sole victory over the USA, given that the World Cup hosts had already qualified at that stage and the match was of no real significance.
One positive statistic is their run of nine consecutive home matches without defeat in the UNL, although those matches were not against teams of France’s calibre.
How the bookies view it: Unsurprising away advantage
There are no surprises in the odds. Les Bleus are always heavy favourites in their matches, with a few exceptions.
At the moment, you can back Turkey at 11/2, whilst France are available at 2/5. A draw is also priced quite high at 15/4.
Recent head-to-head: Les Bleus failed twice in 2019
France and Turkey have met a total of six times since 1996, with Les Bleus holding a commanding lead in the head-to-head record with four wins.
It is a fact, however, that they have failed to win their last two matches in the EURO 2020 qualifiers. Their most recent away match in Turkey ended in a 2-0 defeat, whilst a few months later they drew 1-1 in the return fixture in Paris.
Players to watch: Olise-Mbappe, a match made in heaven
Ousmane Dembele is the only member of France’s star-studded attacking trio who hasn’t had a strong start to the season, but after scoring six goals and providing two assists at the World Cup, there can be little doubt that he is capable of deciding any match on his own.
Kylian Mbappe has scored eight goals and provided two assists in eight matches for Real Madrid this season, but in my view, Michael Olise is the best value bet, and the odds on him are slightly more favourable.
The 24-year-old Bayern Munich playmaker already has eight goals and three assists to his name, and at the World Cup he broke the record for the most assists in a single tournament with seven.
Probable line-ups
Turkey: Cakir, Elmali, Bardakci, Demiral, Celik, Ozcan, Kokcu, Yuksek, Yilmaz, Guler, Akturkoglu
France: Maignan, Truffert, Konate, Upamecano, Kounde, Camavinga, Rabiot, Olise, Dembele, Doue, Mbappe
Anything else catch the eye?
If there is any weakness to be found in the French side at all, it would be their defence, so Turkey are certainly capable of scoring in this match.
But ultimately, I expect Zinedine Zidane to get off to a strong start and for France to go out in search of a thrashing. Zidane’s style is perfect for this Les Bleus side, and I expect them to gel straight away.
GambleAware