On Thursday, November 12, the fifth round of the 2026/27 Nations League features the central clash of the matchday. At the legendary San Siro stadium in Milan, the Italian national team will host France in a decisive battle for the leadership of Group A1. The match, which marks the 43rd meeting in the history of these two rivals, promises to be one of the most intense duels of the current campaign, as the outcome will directly dictate the power dynamics in the group.
Stakes of the match: Battle for Group A1 supremacy
After four rounds, the French national team sits alone at the top of Group A1 with 10 points. Italy follows in second place, trailing by three points with 7. Therefore, a victory at San Siro would allow the "Squadra Azzurra" to catch up with their main competitor and seize the initiative in the race for first place, adding significant tournament weight to the fixture.
Mancini's Italy: The path after qualifying failure
The Italian team, having brought Roberto Mancini back to the helm after their failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, has lost only to Belgium (0:2) in the current Nations League campaign. Since then, the Italians have convincingly beaten Turkey twice (4:1 and 3:1) and secured a draw away to France (1:1), collecting 7 points to solidify their second-place position in the quartet.
Zidane's France: The new era of "Les Bleus"
The French national team has entered a new era under Zinedine Zidane. "Les Bleus" secured two narrow 1:0 victories over Turkey and Belgium, subsequently thrashed Belgium (4:1), and dropped their only points in the draw against Italy. Consequently, the French lead Group A1 with 10 points and head into the Milan match as favorites.
Head-to-head history and previous meetings
The overall record favors the Italians: 20 wins compared to 13 for the French, with nine draws. The teams' previous duel took place on October 2 during the first round of the current Nations League and ended in a 1:1 stalemate. Back then, a goal from France's Michael Olise was answered by an equalizer from Italian defender Alessandro Bastoni. Notably, the last visit by "Les Bleus" to Italy ended in an away victory, adding to the intrigue of the upcoming encounter.
Where to watch the match in Ukraine
The kick-off in Milan is scheduled for 21:45 Kyiv time. The exclusive broadcaster of the match in Ukraine is the media service MEGOGO. The game will be available to watch live on the OTT platform via "Optimal" and "Sport" subscriptions, as well as in all "MEGOPACK" bundles. The pre-match studio will begin at 21:10, with commentary provided by Serhiy Lukyanenko and Volodymyr Zverov.
