Italy Probable lineup vs France: Two Juventus players expected to start | OneFootball

Italy coach Luciano Spalletti will reportedly resort to the services of Juventus duo Andrea Cambiaso and Manuel Locatelli in tonight’s clash against France.

The two neighbors will lock horns at San Siro on the final matchday of the UEFA Nations League group stage. Both sides have secured qualification to the quarter-finals, but this tie will decide who will top Group B. The Azzurri are currently in the lead after beating Belgium thanks to Sandro Tonalis’s solitary strike. Hence, a draw would suffice.

So who will Spalletti line up his men against Didier Deschamps’ side?

According to Sky Sport Italia, the former Napoli boss will maintain his 3-5-1-1 tactical system adopted in Thursday’s victory over Belgium. Nevertheless, there will be some tweaks to the starting lineup.

For instance, Nicolo Barella should return to his original role as a box-to-box midfielder, allowing Daniel Maldini to operate as an attacking midfielder behind Mateo Retegui, even though other sources are backing on-form Fiorentina striker Moise Kean to start instead of the Atalanta bomber.

Moreover, the source also tips Juventus stalwart Manuel Locatelli (who was a late addition to the squad) to start in the deep-lying midfielder role, thus replacing Lazio’s Nicolo Rovella. Newcastle star Sandro Tonali will complete the midfield trio.

On the other hand, Spalletti will confirm the same personnel in the wingback slots, with Andrea Cambiaso and Federico Gatti occupying the right and left lanes respectively. The same applies to the defensive crew, as Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alessandro Buongiorno and Alessandro Bastoni are expected to start ahead of Gianluigi Donnarumma once again.

On the contrary, Juventus defenders Nicolo Savona and Federico Gatti will start on the bench.

ITALY Probable XI (3-5-1-1): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Buongiorno, Bastoni; Cambiaso, Barella, Locatelli, Tonali, Dimarco; Maldini; Retegui

France Probable XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Koundé, Saliba, Konaté, Digne; Koné, Rabiot; Olise, Nkunku, Coman; Thuram.