With Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele missing for France, Barcola is liable to get additional responsibility and should start this match on the left of midfield.

When he has started for France in the Nations League this campaign, he has played at least 73 minutes of action, suggesting he will have an extensive role.

He averages 4.35 shots per 90 across these matches, which is the highest of any France player who has completed at least 150 Nations League minutes.

Barcola is in the middle of a seven-game burst in which he has had at least three shots per game. He has started each of those matches and has had at least one shot on target in all of them.

Although he only had two shots in the previous match against Israel, he was only on the field for 21 minutes and also grabbed a goal.

Thursday’s match at Stade de France points to a high-scoring affair, particularly after these teams played out a five-goal clash just last month. Les Bleus ran out 4-1 winners on that occasion.

Although Israel have been outmatched in each of their Nations League games to date, they have managed to find a way to score in each of these games, despite having just a single shot against France when the sides met previously.

All of their matches so far in this competition have yielded at least three goals, in part because they have been defensively weak, conceding 13 times in total – and at least three on three occasions.

France are powerful offensively even with players missing out and will feel themselves more than capable of running in several goals in this encounter once more. Three of Les Bleus’ last five competitive games have brought at least three goals, while they have struggled to keep clean sheets lately, posting just one in their last five outings.

Chelsea man Nkunku may not start for his club habitually, but he is set to be handed the keys to France’s attacking for this match, benefiting from the absence of other key players but also set to be exploited for his technical abilities against what is expected to be a low bloc.

He has only played 93 minutes with France in the Nations League to date but did manage a shot on target when Les Bleus last faced Israel.

Nkunku has thrived against deep-lying defences for Chelsea this season, having at least two shots on target against the likes of Servette, Barrow and Noah so far this season. With the gulf between France and Israel expected to be a significant one in this game, he is expected to have a similar impact.

This is a major opportunity to impress given France’s absent stars and he can send out a message to both coaches at club and country level.

Kolo Muani averages 1.48 fouls per 90 in the Nations League so far this season, which is the highest of any of France’s expected starters heading into this clash against Israel.

Liable to be up against young Israel defender Ilay Feingold, who has drawn 2.5 fouls per 90 in the Nations League.

He committed one foul against the Israeli’s last month, and given the weight of pressure that France are expected to put on their opponents in this game is liable to commit at least one crime in this game. He is a striker who likes to get involved physically, and given a lot of the ball will be channelled towards him in the final third, this is liable to result in fouls.

At club level, he is committing 1.91 fouls per 90. The PSG striker played all but one minute of October’s international matches and is set for another prominent role for France this time around.

It would be surprising if he were to be taken off given that he needs minutes in his legs while many of his teammates need their minutes managed.

The Randal Kolo Muani that plays for France is a very different one to the one that turns out for PSG.

He is far more effective when playing for Didier Deschamps and this is reflected by the fact that he already has three Nations League goals in this edition of the competition, including the opening goal against Belgium in both fixtures.

This type of game should favour Kolo Muani, who is very much a poacher in the box. With France expected to exert the pressure, he will be able to loiter close to goal and should benefit from a steady flow of scoring opportunities.

With Kylian Mbappe out, he is expected to start this game and relative lack of game time at club level means that he will probably play 90 minutes in this match. This could even be a rare occasion the club wants him to be active as it can put him in the shop window for January and, at the very least, get him match sharp if required at PSG.

Real Madrid midfielder Camavinga will be stationed beside probable captain N’Golo Kante in the heart of the France midfield from this game – a position where he habitually picked up numerous fouls.

He has committed at least two fouls in each of his last three competitive starts for France, dating back to a June 2023 win over Greece.

Camavinga started last time out against Israel and gave away a couple of fouls in that match. He might have given up more but he was checked somewhat by a yellow card that he picked up early in the first half of that encounter. This was despite France being in control of the game, which they ultimately won 4-1.

He has committed at least two fouls in four of his six starts for club and country this season and in five of seven games in which he has played at least 45 minutes. Started for Real Madrid against Osasuna last weekend, and even in a one-sided match that finished 4-0 for Los Blancos committed a couple of fouls.

Israel have been remarkably clean in the Nations League to date, picking up just three cards, yet France have seen 11 brandished in their direction – a tally admittedly skewed by the seven they picked up against Belgium in their previous game.

The context of this match is complicated, though. Israel will want to ensure that their country is not humiliated by losing all their Nations League games, and it would be more surprising if there was not a spiker approach from the visiting side, who have almost been too nice at times.

Another factor to consider here is referee Tobias Stieler, who is not an official who will keep his cards in his pocket based on recent history. He has overseen 14 games this season and has dished out 70 cards at an average of 6.36 per game, including in France’s September clash against Belgium, which finished 2-0 in Les Bleus’ favour and saw four players carded.

Only two of Stieler’s 14 games this season have seen fewer than three cards.

France should be favoured to have the quality to secure a strong win at home against an Israel side that they have already defeated 4-1 on neutral territory.

There will be an appetite among the French players to show how good they can be without Kylian Mbappe, who the local media is reporting is an unpopular figure in the group.

Israel have found themselves out of their depth in the Nations League in their four previous games, losing each by at least two goals. They were fortunate to score last time out against France as they netted with their only shot of the game, and if they are similarly subdued this time around, the home team have the attacking quality to score several goals of their own.