(Reuters) – France will be out to avenge their defeat from earlier this year when they take on Italy in a UEFA Nations League clash at the San Siro in Milan on Sunday, defender Lucas Digne said.
Italy secured a 3-1 comeback win at the Parc des Princes in Paris when the teams met in September in the Nations League A Group 2’s opening game.
Luciano Spalletti’s Italy top the group with 13 points from five games, three ahead of second-placed France, who played out a lacklustre 0-0 draw with Israel on Thursday.
Both teams have already sealed their spots in the quarter-finals scheduled for March.
“There’s definitely a spirit of sporting revenge in the group. When you lose to someone (Italy), you don’t want to lose twice, that’s a must, and I think that’s the spirit everyone will be in,” Digne told reporters on Friday.
“That said, they have a very good cohesion, they have a very good squad, a very good coach (Spalletti) who I know from my time at Roma, and he’s a great tactician, a great man.
“So it will be up to us to prepare as well as we can and work on the little details that we’re lacking at the moment.”
Digne is in line to make his 50th appearance for France against Italy, but the Aston Villa defender is yet to score a goal for the 2018 World Cup champions.
“As far as the goal is concerned, no one has teased me” on the French team, Digne said.
“But it’s true that it wouldn’t hurt to score a little one. After that, as far as the 50 caps are concerned, it’s a long way, a lot of hard work, and the more time goes by, the more I realise what 50 caps represents.
“I’m very proud of that. That said, I don’t have it yet.”
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)
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