Italy leave nine players behind as Mancini splits squad for France match

France vs Italy

Italy head coach Roberto Mancini has split his squad ahead of the Nations League meeting with France, leaving nine players at Coverciano for a specific training programme instead of taking them to Paris.

The decision was made on the eve of Italy’s away game against France, with Mancini again dividing the group to manage preparations before the next fixture against Turkey.

Nine Italy players remain at Coverciano

The nine players staying in Italy are Honest Ahanor, Nicolò Cambiaghi, Diego Coppola, Daniele Ghilardi, Samuele Inacio, Eddy Kouadio, Rolando Mandragora, Massimo Pessina and Alessandro Romano.

Mancini had followed the same approach before the trip to Bursa, while also planning for Monday 5 October’s match against Turkey in Bologna.

The players remaining at Coverciano will not train with the rest of the group.

Instead, they will take part in an afternoon session with part of the coaching and performance staff.

The staff involved in that session are Massimo Maccarone, Cristiano Lupatelli, Giulio Nuciari and Luca Bossi.

The arrangement means Italy will travel to France without the nine players following the separate programme in Italy.

Among those staying behind are Alessandro Romano and Samuele Inacio, while Nicolò Barella and Daniel Maldini are returning after missing the Turkey game.

The Azzurri completed their final training session at Coverciano in the morning before flying to Paris in the afternoon.

France meeting scheduled at the Stade de France

The match against France is scheduled for 7.45pm BST at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

Spain’s Gil Manzano has been appointed referee, and the match is listed for live coverage on Rai 1.

The fixture is Italy’s third match in its Nations League group.

Another source describes the meeting as France’s third Nations League match and says it will take place at the Stade de France.

France have won their opening two matches under Zinedine Zidane, beating Turkey 1-0 before recording the same scoreline against Belgium in the Nations League.

The meeting with Italy will be played in front of a full crowd of about 80,000 at the national stadium north of Paris.

Zidane revisits 2006 headbutt

The France manager has spoken about the headbutt involving Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final.

Zidane said he does not regret the incident, although he stressed that he is not proud of what happened.

He was sent off during extra time of the final, which Italy went on to win on penalties in Berlin.

The images of the incident continue to be shown regularly, according to the report carrying Zidane’s comments.

“Those images will always be there to remind me of what happened in 2006, because they are constantly being shown,” Zidane said.

He added, “Fortunately, that was not the only thing I did. There were other, more beautiful things, so I try to think more about the positive aspects.”

Speaking at a news conference at the stadium before the match, Zidane said he had not spoken to Materazzi since that night in Berlin.

“I do not regret it, because it was part of my career,” he said.

Zidane also said that, in 2006, he did not know he would later become a manager.

“In 2006, I did not know I would become a manager. I thought it was the end of everything, which made it very difficult for me,” he said.

He continued: “I am not proud of what happened. I have said that again and again, but it is part of my career. You cannot only do great things.”

Zidane returns to a symbolic venue

Zidane took charge of France in late July, replacing his former international team-mate Didier Deschamps.

Deschamps left the role after 14 years in charge.

Zidane’s first two matches as France manager were both away from home.

The Italy match will therefore be his return to the Stade de France, a venue where he remains a highly symbolic figure for France supporters.

“It will be a very emotional moment,” Zidane said.

His last appearance as a player at the Stade de France came in a friendly against Mexico in 2006.

For Italy, the immediate focus is the squad division decided by Mancini, with the travelling group preparing in Paris and nine players continuing their separate work at Coverciano.

The match brings together a France side that has begun Zidane’s tenure with two 1-0 Nations League victories and an Italy camp managing its preparations across two locations.