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France and Ivory Coast continue their World Cup preparations with a friendly at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes on Thursday night.
The hosts have made the final on the last two occasions, and will have ambitions of going all the way and winning it again like they did in 2018.
Meanwhile, the visitors will also want to get as far as they can, and will take inspiration from the fact fellow African nation Morocco reached the semi-finals in 2022.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
France vs. Ivory Coast key stats
- France are on a four-game winning run in all competiitons.
- Ivory Coast have won four of their last five matches across all competitions (L1).
- France are unbeaten in three previous H2Hs (W2, D1).
France vs. Ivory Coast preview: Les Bleus to get victory boost?
| France | vs | Ivory Coast |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIFA Ranking | 34 |
| Kylian Mbappe (96) | Most Caps | Franck Kessie (102) |
| Kylian Mbappe (56) | Most Goals | Franck Kessie (15) |
| 763 | Total Caps | 682 |
| 96 | Total Goals | 81 |
| 1 | Uncapped Players | 2 |
France go into the World Cup as the number-one ranked nation in world football, and so will be expecting to win it for the third time.
Their first was on home soil in 1998, and second as recently as 2018 under Didier Deschamps.
Deschamps is still in charge and will be aiming to get his squad into a third straight World Cup final, having lost on penalties against Argentina in 2022.
Les Bleus have been dealt a blow though with William Saliba nursing an injury that could keep him out of a significant chunk of the tournament, so they will have to work on a defensive structure against Ivory Coast that they can carry into it.
The visitors have qualified for a fourth World Cup themselves, with all four appearances coming since 2006.
African nations are getting stronger, shown by Morocco becoming the first to reach a World Cup semi-final in Qatar.
Emerse Fae may not have the same ambition with how many strong nations are at the tournament, but the head coach will at least want his squad to give a good account of themselves.
The Elephants may be without Evan Ndicka through injury though, although it is just a knock and they are hopeful he will be fit for the start of the World Cup.
France vs. Ivory Coast form guide & betting tips
| France | vs | Ivory Coast |
|---|---|---|
DWWWW |
Form | WWLWW |
| 14 | Goals For | 13 |
| 5 | Goals Against | 5 |
DWW |
Friendlies | WWW |
Whispers predicts: France 3-1 Ivory Coast
France are 2/5 (1.40) favourites to win, but while we agree with the bookies, these odds are too short for us to back.
Instead, our first pick is BTTS – Yes at 23/25 (1.92), which has come through in France's last three games in all competitions.
Our next bet is Over 3.5 goals at 6/4 (2.50), which has also come through in four of France's previous five matches across all competitions, and two of Ivory Coast's last three.
Our final punt is Desire Doue to score anytime at 19/10 (2.90), who scored a brace in his previous appearance for Les Bleus and will be on a high after winning the Champions League final with Paris Saint-Germain.
Overall, we are predicting a 3-1 France win, which is available at 10/1 (11.00).
> BTTS – Yes at 23/25 (1.92) | Likelihood: Probable
> Over 3.5 goals at 6/4 (2.50) | Likelihood: Possible
> Desire Doue to score anytime at 19/10 (2.90) | Likelihood: Possible