Turkey – France

The Turks are unlikely to score any points in the match against a team from France.

One of the most intriguing fixtures of the first matchday of the Nations League will be played on Turkish soil. The home side had a resounding failure at the World Cup, losing its chances to reach the playoffs earlier than the other World Cup participants. Vincenzo Montella's team faced an extraordinary run of bad luck, failing to convert even one goal from more than sixty shots on target at the goals of the national teams of Australia and Paraguay, losing to both opponents. Only in the third group-stage match did Turkey finally break through. Its three goals led to a victory over the United States, who had already by then secured their place in the playoffs. It is interesting to see how the leadership of national football reacted to this setback. Montella kept his coaching post, and the players received expensive gifts from the state in the form of real estate on the Turkish coast. Undoubtedly, against the backdrop of a large number of coaching resignations, this approach stands out. Writing off the World Cup 2026 as mere bad luck, the Turkish football authorities surely set Montella's coaching staff clear performance targets for the upcoming tournaments. If this Turkish national team cannot prove its viability in the Nations League, it is unlikely to avoid changes before the qualification for Euro 2028, which will begin in the fall of next year. The French team, which played the tournament in North America as the favorites but stumbled against its eventual winner in the semifinals, changed its head coach in the summer. Didier Deschamps, who had become a great figure at the helm of the 'Tricolors', ceded his position to his former pupil Zinedine Zidane. Undoubtedly, the appointment of a beloved national icon to such an important post was warmly welcomed in France. It seems that star Zidane is exactly the man needed to lead a squad whose transfer value approaches one and a half billion euros. None of the French players had played for the national team under Deschamps, which is why in Turkey each of them will be highly motivated. All leaders of the visiting team are healthy and ready to take the field. Let us bet that the French will secure a victorious outcome in the upcoming match.