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Zidane promises to ring changes for France's clash with 'outstanding' Belgians

France coach Zinedine Zidane during training
France coach Zinedine Zidane during trainingReuters / Gonzalo Fuentes

France coach Zinedine Zidane has promised changes to his side for Monday's Nations League match away to ⁠Belgium after losing captain Kylian Mbappe to injury.

France beat Turkey 1-0 on Friday in Zidane’s first match in charge, with Mbappe scoring the winner ‌before being forced off. The forward has since returned to Real Madrid.

"There will definitely be changes. ‌How many, you will see tomorrow," a good-humoured Zidane told Sunday’s pre-match ‌press conference.

"But yes, we knew we were going to play four matches in a ‌very short period, especially this one between Turkey and Belgium, with ‌the travel in between. So obviously, we are going to rotate the team a little."

The match in Brussels is the second of four for France during the international window. They ‌host Italy in Paris on Friday before facing Belgium ⁠again at the Stade de France ‌on Monday, October 5th.

Zidane said his immediate focus was on getting to know his ​players and helping them understand his demands, although results remained a priority.

"Everything is important, but the most important thing is getting to know ​one another," he said.

"The idea is always to prepare the matches properly, even if we don't have much training time, and especially because we can ⁠also do things through video. 

"And then, of course, it's about winning the match because we're all competitors and when we step onto the pitch, we want to win."

'You ‌want big matches, and this is another one'

Zidane expects a tough outing against Belgium, who beat Italy 2-0 in their opening ‌Nations League Group A1 game in Rome on Friday.

"There is also a coach (Mark van Bommel) on the other side who has just arrived and who will be putting things in place. It is a very good team. They had a very good World Cup, and we know there are some outstanding individuals in this team.

Winning probabilities
Winning probabilitiesFlashscore

"And collectively, we know we're going to have a difficult match tomorrow. But that's what I find interesting. There are some great fixtures.

"That's what you want when you're competitive and enjoy playing football. You ‌want to have big matches, and this is another one.”

The 1998 World Cup ​winner said his players should savour the opportunity of playing for the ‌national team.

“There are some great matches ahead. You really have to enjoy the moment," Zidane said.

"That's what I tell them because football goes so quickly. Look, I'm 54, I'm here now, and I can't play anymore. So I tell them to enjoy the moment because it flies ⁠by, and the French national team ⁠is something so beautiful that I ‌want them to experience these moments."

UEFA Nations League

The UEFA Nations League 2026/27 is contested by the national teams of 54 of UEFA's member associations. They're divided into four leagues based on the rankings of the previous edition, with Leagues A, B, and C featuring sixteen teams each, divided into four groups of four, while League D features six teams divided into two groups of three. It begins in September 2026, with the finals in June 2027.

Follow the UEFA Nations League | Read the latest Nations League news

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