Italy will host France at San Siro on 12 November in a UEFA Nations League Group 1 match, kicking off at 19.45 GMT. Italy are second in the group on seven points, three behind leaders France on 10 points, with both sides having two games left.
Group Standings and Fixtures
Belgium have six points in third. Italy drew 1-1 with France in Paris. Italy's final Group 1 match will be away to Belgium, while France will play Turkiye.
Team News
Mancini's return to the Italy bench began with a 2-0 home defeat to Belgium. Gianluigi Donnarumma has gone from Paris Saint-Germain to Manchester City. The source says Donnarumma has never been able to play at San Siro without being jeered since leaving Milan as a free agent. Nicolò Barella is an Inter midfielder and Alphadjo Cisse is a Milan forward who could make his senior Italy debut. Gianluca Mancini was injured and Nicolò Zaniolo withdrew from Italy's squad over a personal matter.
There are reports France could be without Kylian Mbappé because of a hamstring issue that saw him miss training on 11 November. France are already missing Marcus Thuram, Pierre Kalulu, Aurelien Tchaouameni, Manu Koné, William Saliba, Jules Koundé, Maxence Lacroix, Ousmane Dembélé, Maghnes Akliouche and Esteban Lepaul.
Mancini's Views on Squad and Tactics
Mancini said Alessandro Bastoni and Federico Dimarco must adjust from Inter's 3-5-2 formation to his 4-3-3. Mancini said: "They also played in a four-man defence, it doesn’t take many training sessions to get them at ease there."
Key Quotes from Mancini's Press Conference
Roberto Mancini said: "We are certainly seeking to confirm and improve the previous performances, and seeing as we have seven points and two games left to play, we can qualify too."
Mancini said: "This seems to be a positive and, considering how things started, a little unexpected."
Mancini said: "Gigio is a great goalkeeper, as well as an extraordinary young man. Aside from what happened years ago, I don’t think he deserves to be jeered. One would hope fans go to the stadium to cheer on the team, and in turn we hope to give them something to cheer about."
Mancini said: "But I won my most recent one here, and it was by no means easy either, against England."
Mancini said: "I am not affected by the fact we are at San Siro, so my decisions will be made regardless of the stadium setting. They are two players coming off good performances, so that is positive for everyone."
Mancini said: "We have wingers at the moment who are very young and without much experience, but these games are where they can gain some of that, then hopefully in the next six months everyone will have grown and improved."
Mancini said: "We have to call young players so that we can see and get to know them directly, both for the present and with an eye to the future."
Mancini said: "Everyone wanted young players, and I agreed it seemed right and logical. People complain they never get to play, so we tried to call them up and get to know them. It can make a big difference for a young player to train alongside those with more experience and at a higher level."
