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France will close out their UEFA Nations League group stage campaign against Turkey on Sunday, November 15 at the Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux. The match kicks off at 19:45 GMT (14:45 ET / 11:45 PT) as Les Bleus seek to secure a place in the quarter-finals following their first defeat under head coach Zinedine Zidane.
Qualification Scenarios and Group Standings
France enter the final matchday in a three-way battle alongside Italy and Belgium for two quarter-final spots in League A, Group A. Zidane’s team suffered a 3-1 loss against Italy on Matchday 5, despite Michael Olise opening the scoring early at the Stadio San Siro. The defeat ended a 10-match unbeaten streak for France in Nations League group stage action.
To guarantee top spot in the group, France must defeat Turkey while hoping Italy fail to win against Belgium in Brussels. Les Bleus will also advance to the last eight if they avoid defeat or if Belgium do not win their fixture. Meanwhile, Turkey have lost all five of their group matches and are guaranteed to finish fourth, having recently suffered a 2-1 defeat to Belgium. The draw for the knockout stage will take place on Friday at 11:00 GMT in Nyon, Switzerland.
Turkey appointed former Besiktas coach Sergen Yalcin on October 20 to replace Vincenzo Montella. Although Arda Guler gave the team an early lead against Belgium, two unanswered goals condemned Turkey to another defeat. Speaking after the match, Yalcin praised his squad’s effort, noting, “These things can happen,” before adding, “We’ll put them right over time.”
Team News and Expected Lineups
France face several roster issues heading into the contest, as reported by 101 Great Goals. Winger Desire Doue remains a doubt after sustaining a tooth injury against Italy. Captain Kylian Mbappe and defender Pierre Kalulu are both sidelined with hamstring injuries, while midfielders Aurelien Tchouameni and forward Marcus Thuram miss out due to muscle problems.
For Turkey, striker Enes Unal made his return to international action against Belgium, marking his first appearance since 2024. However, winger Aral Simsir is ruled out with a muscle injury, while defenders Umit Akdag and Ozan Kabak are serving suspensions.
France predicted lineup: Mike Maignan; Malo Gusto, Dayot Upamecano, Jeremy Jacquet, Adrien Truffert; Adrien Rabiot, Lucas Da Cunha, Rayan Cherki; Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue, Michael Olise.
Turkey predicted lineup: Ugurcan Cakir; Merih Demiral, Emirhan Topcu, Ismail Yuksek, Orkun Kokcu; Arda Guler, Kenan Yildiz, Ferdi Kadioglu; Yunus Akgun, Oguz Aydin, Enes Unal.
Key Statistics and Broadcast Information
Recent meetings between these two nations have been low-scoring affairs, with none of the last four fixtures featuring more than two goals. France won the previous encounter 1-0 in Kocaeli on Matchday 1 courtesy of a 54th-minute goal from Mbappe. In total, France have won five of their seven encounters against Turkey.
Individually, Olise has been in remarkable form, scoring in four consecutive Nations League appearances to take his tally to five goals. On the defensive side for Turkey, midfielder Ismail Yuksek leads the competition metrics with 18 tackles and 27 ball recoveries across five matches.
Fans in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Amazon Prime Video, while viewers in the United States can stream the coverage via Fox, Fubo, and ViX.
