Italy vs France Clash: Zidane Calls Up Young Players, A Solution Amidst the Injury Crisis Storm

An Injury crisis sweeping through France National Team ahead of their fixture against Italy in the 2026/2027 UEFA Nations League has brought an additional consequence for Zinedine Zidane. With multiple senior players sidelined, the Les Bleus head coach now has the opening to grant greater opportunity to young squad talents.

Kylian Mbappé is the latest player ruled out. The France captain has been officially confirmed absent for the San Siro clash against Italy due to a hamstring muscle injury.

Prior to this, France had already lost Marcus Thuram, Pierre Kalulu, and Aurélien Tchouaméni to separate injury issues.

The full list of unavailable players extends far longer. William Saliba, Jules Koundé, Maxence Lacroix, Manu Koné, Ousmane Dembélé, Maghnes Akliouche, and Esteban Lepaul will all also miss out on featuring for Les Bleus across the November international match window.

This situation has forced Zidane to adjust his squad composition. Multiple young players have received senior national team call-ups, including Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Senny Mayulu and Eli Junior Kroupi of Bournemouth.

Mayulu earned his first ever senior France call-up following Tchouaméni's fitness setback. His addition provides extra midfield options for Zidane as the coach looks to maintain tactical balance on the pitch.

Meanwhile Kroupi was drafted in as a direct replacement for Marcus Thuram. The 20-year-old forward already holds experience across France's youth international ranks, and was part of the U-19 squad that finished runners-up at Euro 2024.

This breakthrough chance for young players arrives during a high-pressure period. France are yet to face Italy and Turkey in their final two Group A1 fixtures.

Both matches carry critical weight: Les Bleus are currently fighting to lock in top group position, along with direct qualification for the Quarter Finals.

Zidane will not fully overhaul the starting line-up. France retains a core of established senior players including Adrien Rabiot, Eduardo Camavinga, Warren Zaire-Emery, Michael Olise, and Rayan Cherki.

These experienced figures are tasked with maintaining on-pitch stability while guiding the newly called young talents through the fixtures.

In attack, the absences of Mbappé and Thuram have left Zidane with extremely limited options. Desiré Doué, Bradley Barcola and Olise are now the primary players relied upon to lead France's forward line.

This situation also acts as a valuable test of France's squad depth for Zidane. Should the young players successfully capitalise on this opportunity, they can establish themselves as core pieces of Les Bleus' long term squad regeneration.

Nevertheless, the challenge remains severe. Italy are equally desperate to collect points on home soil at the San Siro. France cannot lean on reputation alone here; they must prove they remain competitive even without a large portion of their star starting players.