Dembélé, Lepaul, Koné: Zidane without three attackers before November squad announcement

Zinédine Zidane will have to manage without several key players when he announces his second squad as France manager on Friday, November 6. Three players called up in September are currently injured, less than two weeks before trips to Italy and hosting Turkey in the Nations League.

The most high-profile case remains Ousmane Dembélé, who suffered a thigh injury in the match against Barcelona. The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner is not expected to play again before the international break, making his presence with France in November highly unlikely.

In attack, Estéban Lepaul is suffering from an ankle sprain that has already kept him out of matches against Juventus and Strasbourg with Rennes. The Rennes striker, quiet during his first call-up, is not yet able to return. His absence could benefit Marcus Thuram, in great form with Inter Milan, unless Zidane considers another option.

In midfield, Manu Koné is the most recent injury. The AS Roma player suffered a thigh injury in the Champions League against Real Madrid. His manager mentioned a possible return for the match against Sassuolo on November 7 — the day after the squad announcement. Zidane could therefore opt for caution, as he did in September with Aurélien Tchouaméni.

The latter appears well-placed to feature in the next squad: he has played consecutive matches with Real Madrid, including 90 minutes in the Clásico against Barcelona on Sunday. Warren Zaïre-Emery, initially called up in September before withdrawing, is also fit and available.