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Without Mbappé, Dembélé and Thuram, Zidane fields Doué as striker against Italy

Forced to deal with three major attacking absences, Zinédine Zidane unveiled an unprecedented lineup for the 4th Nations League matchday in Milan: Désiré Doué as central striker, flanked by Olise and Barcola.

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Without Mbappé, Dembélé and Thuram, Zidane fields Doué as striker against Italy
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Zinédine Zidane announced his starting XI for France’s trip to Milan on Thursday, in the 4th Nations League matchday, with an entirely reshuffled attack line due to the simultaneous absences of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Marcus Thuram.

Faced with this wave of withdrawals, the manager opted for an unprecedented solution: Désiré Doué as central striker, flanked by Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola on the wings. Behind this trio, Rayan Cherki and Adrien Rabiot are paired in midfield, while Lucas Da Cunha occupies the defensive anchor role.

The central defensive pairing is entrusted to Jérémy Jacquet and Dayot Upamecano, with Malo Gusto and Adrien Truffert in the full-back positions. Mike Maignan is in goal.

France’s XI against Italy: Maignan — Gusto, Jacquet, Upamecano, Truffert — Cherki, Da Cunha, Rabiot — Olise, Doué, Barcola.

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