The Azzurri are just two points behind Les Bleus in Group B and a win would send them to the top of the pile.

However, with Scotland just a point behind and Ukraine a further four adrift with a game in hand, anything other than a victory could leave the World Cup winners in trouble.

France won 3-1 when the two teams met in Paris a year ago, and it will be a high-pressure match for both countries in front of an expected 83,000 fans at Milan's San Siro.

David Trezeguet has earned a recall to the French squad after being overlooked for most of last season while his club Juventus were in Italy's Serie B.

Les Bleus coach Raymond Domenech has injury doubts over Patrick Vieira (hamstring) and William Gallas (groin).

Domenech told Gazzetta dello Sport: "Vieira's problem is disappearing. Patrick is better but it will be down to him whether or not he plays."

France`s only suspension is Domenech himself, who will serve a one-match touchline ban following his controversial comments about Italian football in newspaper Le Parisien.

Italy's star striker Luca Toni is also struggling after picking up a thigh injury playing for his new club Bayern Munich, but he said: "I'll do anything I can to recover, then (coach Roberto) Donadoni will make the decision."

The only new face in the Italy squad is the 24-year-old winger Pasquale Foggia, who has impressed on-loan at Cagliari this season and scored twice against Juve last weekend.

Meanwhile, Scotland welcome Lithuania to Hampden Park looking for a repeat of the 2-1 win they posted over the Baltic nation earlier in the qualifying campaign.

Coach Alex McLeish will be missing central defender Russell Anderson, who has pulled out with a calf injury. Striker Kenny Miller (hamstring) and full-back Gary Naysmith (knee ligaments) are also sidelined.

Lithuania boss Algimantas Liubinska is able to call upon the experienced Edgaras Jankauskas after he returned to club football with Cypriot side AEK Larnaca FC.

Ukraine travel to Georgia in the remaining fixture with an outside hope of qualification.

Oleh Blokhin's 23-man-squad includes one new face in the 20-year-old Konstantin Kravchenko, bringing FC Dnipro's international representatives to eight.

Blokhin will however be without trio Andriy Vorobey, Andriy Nesmachniy and Taras Mikhalik, while Andriy Shevchenko has fitness problems.

Two teenagers will be hoping to get their international debuts for Georgia with their European hopes looking all but over after just two wins in eight matches.

Coach Klaus Toppmoller is instead looking to the future with 17-year-old goalkeeper Georgi Makaridze included in his side along with Levan Kenia, who is just 16.