If Kylian Mbappé were in the squad, he could surely cause trouble for Italy,” says the goalkeeper.
The forward who should have been the biggest concern for Italy’s goalkeeper is missing from the squad! Gianluigi Donnarumma expressed his surprise at not seeing Kylian Mbappé’s name in France’s squad. However, this doesn’t mean Italy’s goalkeeper is taking it easy. He also highlighted the strength of France’s alternative forwards.
France coach Didier Deschamps has not included Mbappé in the squad for the two matches in this round of the Nations League. In the previous round, Mbappé missed games due to a thigh injury. This time, the coach has not clarified the reasons behind leaving him out.
Playing without Mbappé, France drew their last match against Israel. On Sunday, they face Italy.
France and Italy have already secured their places in the quarter-finals from Group A2. This match will decide the group winner.
On the eve of the clash, Donnarumma admitted that Mbappé could have been a major headache for Italy.
“I don’t know what’s happening with their squad selections or what happened with Mbappé, but this is definitely a significant absence. I know Kylian very well. He’s one of the best in the world, and if he were playing, he could have put us in serious trouble.”
Donnarumma, however, is well aware of France’s squad depth. Playing for PSG at the club level, he is familiar with many of the French players and knows they have plenty of attacking options. He specifically mentioned three of his club teammates.
“They have many excellent players. I know them well, and they are all of high quality. They have outstanding forwards like Barcola, Kolo Muani, and Zaire-Emery, who play alongside me at the club. Barcola is an unbelievable talent. So, they have such alternatives that can cause us problems.”
Italy remains unbeaten at the top of the group with 13 points from five matches. France is second with 10 points.
