Zidane announces changes to the France squad to face Belgium in the European Nations League

France coach Zinedine Zidane confirmed that he is making adjustments to the starting lineup of the team when facing Belgium, on Monday, to maintain the lead in Group A of the first level of the European Nations League.

In his first appearance on French football as coach of the Roosters, Zidane led his country to a 1-1 draw with Italy on Friday.

On the other hand, the Belgian team lost to France by a goal in Brussels, but corrected its situation with a 3-0 victory over Türkiye, ranking second in the group with six points.

Kylian Mbappé will be absent from the French national team due to a knee injury during the match against Turkey in the first round, while center back Dayot Upamecano will be absent due to suspension for being sent off in the match against Italy, which requires Zidane to use the rest of his team.

Zidane said in a press conference on Sunday: “There will certainly be changes to the starting lineup, because we will play a fourth match in a short period. The changes must be smart, to maintain the strength of our team.”

He added: “Our goal is to prove that all players are committed to the required tasks, and to confirm that there is strong competition among the French national team players.”

On the other hand, the Belgium national team will play the confrontation without the duo Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans, the team captain, due to suspension.

But Zidane realizes that France faces a difficult task against Belgium, led by Dutch coach Mark van Bommel.

Zidane concluded: “The Belgium team performed well in the first match against us, and they caused us technical problems. They can do a lot. They posed a threat against Turkey, which confirms the strength of this team individually and collectively.”

The organizers of the Wuhan Open Tennis Championship announced, on Sunday, that world number one Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the tournament scheduled to be held this month due to a foot injury, one day after the Kazakh player suffered a surprise defeat in her opening match at the China Open in the capital, Beijing.

Elena Rybakina, who lost to world number 118 Alina Sharaeva, said that she will stay away from competition for a while in order to recover.

Elena Rybakina said on Instagram: “I am very sorry to the fans who were looking forward to watching me play. I'll take some time to rest and recover. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.”

The 27-year-old player suffers from a chronic problem in her lower leg and foot, which also forced her to withdraw from the quarter-final match in Cincinnati against Iga Świjontek last August.

Despite this setback, Elena Rybakina recovered in time to participate in the US Open; Where she won her third major championship title, rose to the top of the world rankings, and became the first player to qualify for the final tournament of the WTA season.

Elena Rybakina is expected to next compete in the Ningbo Championships; Where she will try to defend her title.

The Wuhan Open is scheduled to be held from October 12 to 18.