France plays Turkey in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday at 20:45 local time at the Stade Atlantique in Bordeaux, looking to recover from a 3-1 defeat to Italy in Milan.
Les Bleus opened their previous fixture brightly when Michael Olise scored in the 10th minute, but the team’s performance dropped away as Italy secured a 3-1 victory. That result ended the French team’s unbeaten run in Group 6 and cost them first place in the standings, which Italy now occupies.
Turkey enters the match following a 3-1 loss to Belgium in what was Sergen Yalçın’s debut as head coach. The 54-year-old manager watched his side squander an early lead provided by Arda Güler, leading to a rapid comeback by the Belgians and extending Turkey’s losing streak to five matches.
France holds a squad value of 1,43 mld. € with an average age of 24.1, compared to Turkey’s squad valuation of 416,50 mil. € and an average age of 26.6. Zinédine Zidane manages the French squad, while Yalçın leads the visitors.
France expects the return of captain Kylian Mbappé after the Real Madrid forward missed the previous fixture due to a minor injury.
Dayot Upamecano will not take part after leaving the national team camp for personal reasons. Turkey aims to tighten a defense that has conceded 13 goals during the current tournament campaign, placing the team among the three worst-defending sides alongside the Czech Republic and Croatia.
The visiting side welcomes back Abdülkerim Bardakcı for the trip to Bordeaux. The experienced central defender completed a suspension for accumulated yellow cards during the match against Belgium.
Bookmakers at Fortuna list France as clear favorites to claim three points on home soil, pricing a home victory at 1.20. A draw sits at 7.80, while an outright win for Turkey carries an 11.00 return.
Markets on total goals set the line at 3.5, with under priced at 1.92 and over at 1.89.
Selekt Light broadcasts the fixture via its free streaming platform starting at 20:45 local time, while standard betting operators do not carry live video feeds of the game.
Turkey has conceded 13 goals across its tournament fixtures so far, making the backline one of the most porous in the competition.
Kylian Mbappé wears the armband for France, while Hakan Çalhanoğlu captains Turkey.
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