Attacking surprise and a host of absentees: Zidane reveals his second squad with France
Zidane opens the national team doors to new faces in France's second list
Zinedine Zidane named his second France squad on Friday, picking the group that will face Italy and Turkey in the UEFA Nations League.
His first selection, back in September, was met with huge anticipation. Now Les Bleus head into another international window with the stakes rising. They travel to Italy on 12 November before hosting Turkey on 15 November, two matches that will decide who reaches the quarter-finals. A draw in Milan is enough to send France through.
Injuries have left the former Real Madrid boss with plenty to solve. William Saliba (Arsenal), Jules Koundé (Barcelona), Maxence Lacroix (Chelsea), Manu Koné (Roma), Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain) and Esteban Lepaul (Rennes) are all sidelined.
Dayot Upamecano adds to the problems. Suspension rules the defender out of the trip to Italy, leaving Zidane to turn to fresh faces and familiar names to plug the gaps.
The biggest surprise? A first senior call-up for forward Pablo Pagis. Aurélien Tchouaméni returns to the midfield, Malo Gusto comes in to cover for the injured Koundé, and Andy Diouf, Jérémy Jacquet and Lucas Da Cunha all make the list.
Up front, Zidane leans on the firepower of Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise, with Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué and the returning Marcus Thuram for company. Eduardo Camavinga, Rayan Cherki, Adrien Rabiot and Warren Zaïre-Emery marshal the midfield alongside Tchouaméni in a 23-man group chasing the qualification ticket.
France lead Group One on 10 points. Italy are second on 7, just ahead of Belgium on 6, while Turkey sit bottom without a single point.
The France squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (Milan), Guillaume Restes (Toulouse), Robin Risser (Lens)
Defence: Andy Diouf (Inter Milan), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Jérémy Jacquet (Liverpool), Pierre Kalulu (Juventus), Ibrahima Konaté (Real Madrid), Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Leny Yoro (Manchester United)
Midfield: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Lucas Da Cunha (Como), Adrien Rabiot (Milan), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
Attack: Bradley Barcola (Liverpool), Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Pablo Pagis (Paris FC), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan)
