Zinedine Zidane's managerial debut with France is the kind of event that bends a football news cycle into pure mythology. He replaced Didier Deschamps after the 2026 World Cup, inheriting a squad still stacked with elite talent — Mbappe as captain, Dembele, Camavinga, Kounde — and now walks into Kocaeli Stadium in Izmit on Friday evening to face a Turkiye side missing Calhanoglu and Yildiz but armed with Arda Guler. The pregame theatre has been predictable and earned. Zidane, asked whether this feels like his playing debut in 1994, smiled and said "even more so, maybe." Adrien Rabiot, one of the vice-captains, noted that Zidane's aura means the spotlight sits on the coach rather than the players — a dynamic that could prove useful or suffocating depending on early results. Zidane brings six uncapped players into the squad: Esteban Lepaul (Rennes), Leny Yoro (Manchester United), Jeremy Jacquet (Liverpool), Lucas Da Cunha (Como), Andy Diouf (Inter Milan), and Guillaume Restes (Toulouse). None are expected to start, but their inclusion signals intent — Zidane wants to build, not just inherit. "The French team is open to everyone," he said. Mbappe was cleared to play after a minor injury scare, though his absence from Thursday's press conference raised eyebrows. Zidane waved it away: "The obligation is to have one player and the coach. He's fine. He will be ready." France's predicted lineup is formidable — Maignan in goal, a back four of Kounde, Upamecano, Lacroix, and Truffert, with Camavinga and Rabiot anchoring midfield behind Dembele, Olise, Doue, and Mbappe. Turkiye's task is steep. The hosts are without their two most creative players in Calhanoglu and Yildiz, and the head-to-head record reads four French wins from six meetings. The last encounter was a 1-1 draw in Paris in 2019, with Kaan Ayhan equalizing Olivier Giroud's late opener. Turkiye's predicted XI features Guler, Kokcu, and Akturkoglu as the creative spine, with Demiral and Bardakci at centre-back. The Nations League campaign is dense: after Turkiye, France travels to Belgium on Monday, then hosts Italy (October 2) and Belgium (October 5) at the Stade de France. Four matches in eleven days will tell us whether Zidane's France is a continuation of Deschamps' pragmatism or something with a different shape. The football itself starts at 18:45 GMT.
