The Turkish national team left a fairly pleasant impression from the first match after the disastrous trip to the World Cup held in North America. Let us recall that there, the Turks lost their chances to reach the playoffs earlier than the other participants. Vincenzo Montella's side faced an extraordinary run of bad luck, failing to score even once despite more than sixty shots toward the goals of the Australian and Paraguayan national teams, losing to both opponents. Only in the third group-stage match did Turkey break through with three goals against the United States, a team that had already taken care of its business. In the opening round of the Nations League, the Turkish squad looked good. Considering that the opponents were France, who in the summer reached the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup and are packed with first-rate stars, a 0-1 defeat cannot be considered a failure. Moreover, all key statistical indicators except the scoreboard showed parity between the teams. It seems that, before the visit to Turkish soil by the somewhat raw Italian side, a repeat of the level of play against France could yield three points for Montella's players. Moreover, at a high level against the French, the hosts played without Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Kenan Yıldız, who are dealing with health issues. The Italy national football team experienced another catastrophe in the spring of this year, failing to qualify for the third consecutive World Cup. It would seem that missing the main tournament would have become routine for one of the planet's most titled national teams, yet a third such fiasco in a row brought considerable pain to Italian football fans. After a spate of scandals surrounding the appointment of a new coach, the Italian team was entrusted to Roberto Mancini. The experienced specialist began his tenure as head coach with a 0-2 defeat to Belgium. What is particularly painful is that it took place on home soil in Rome and seemed quite fair. If not for Gianluigi Donnarumma's efforts in goal, the score could have been even more depressing. The Italians are not yet ready to beat tough opponents away, but they are capable of scoring at least a goal.