The dawn of a new era for France begins in Turkey in this UEFA Nations League (UNL) opener, with new boss Zinedine Zidane hoping to make a winning start.
Match News and Current Form
Turkey’s World Cup jaunt over the summer was fraught with disappointment after they crashed out at the group stage (W1, L2). A 3-2 win on matchday three against tournament co-hosts USA was the only high point of another dismal showing on the tournament stage for Turkey and hardly serves as ideal preparation for a first campaign in League A of the UNL after back-to-back promotions. A convincing 6-1 aggregate win over Hungary in the UNL promotion/relegation play-offs earned them a spot at the top table, and they may be cautiously optimistic of marking the occasion here with a positive result having gone unbeaten in their last nine UNL home matches (inc play-offs: W6, D3).
After a 14-year stint at the helm, Didier Deschamps stepped down from the post of France coach after a glittering stint that yielded a World Cup triumph in 2018 and a UNL title in 2021. Incoming coach and playing legend Zidane is now left with a tough act to follow, but having won 11 trophies of his own so far in his managerial career, he’s more than accustomed to the kind of success France strive for as they bid to improve on the bronze medal they gained in the last UNL cycle. They even fell short of a third-place finish in the summer’s World Cup as they finished fourth, but they’ve largely felt at home in this competition, where they won four of their last five matches (D1) in the initial group phase, with three of those wins coming on the road.
Head-to-Head History
France may have the overall H2H advantage (W4, D1, L1), but both failures to win came across the last two meetings.
Hot Stats and Streaks
Turkey conceded before the 30th minute in their last four matches.
Only two of Turkey's seven internationals in 2026 saw both teams score.
Fourteen of France’s last 17 matches featured over 2.5 goals.
France scored their last nine goals after half-time.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
A Kerem Aktürkoğlu goal could be a positive omen for Turkey as his last 14 international goals came in winning causes. France’s Michael Olise could have a late say on this game if his recent form at Bayern Munich is anything to go by, as five of his last six club goals arrived after the 70th minute.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Kenan Yıldız are two standout absentees from the Turkey squad. Zidane has made wholesale changes from France’s World Cup squad, with William Saliba also missing out through injury.
For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.
Betting Analysis
Given France’s proficiency, backing them to score over 1.5 second-half goals could be a route to value.
Author: Chris Wilson