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In what will be their final friendly before the start of their World Cup campaign, France will take on visitors Northern Ireland at Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Monday, before heading to North America later that week.
France will be seen as one of the tournament's favourites, and heading to the World Cup in strong form would be an immense confidence booster, so the visitors should not expect to see a weakened linuep.
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. Northern Ireland key stats
- France have scored at least three goals in seven of their last 13 friendlies.
- Northern Ireland have scored exactly one goal in three of their past four matches.
- France have kept just one clean sheet in their five most recent fixtures.
- Six of the last eight goals that Northern Ireland have conceded have come in the second half.
France vs. Northern Ireland: Preparations for World Cup favourites?
| France | vs | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | FIFA Ranking | 70th |
| Hugo Lloris (145) | Most Caps | Steven Davis (140) |
| Olivier Giroud (57) | Most Goals | David Healy (36) |
| 784 | Total Caps | 396 |
| 97 | Total Goals | 33 |
| 1 | Uncapped Players | 2 |
France head into their clash with Northern Ireland having suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Ivory Coast on Thursday, losing despite scoring just before half time to take a 1-0 lead into the interval.
The hosts should be credited for winning seven of the eight matches prior to their defeat against Ivory Coast, a period that included victories against teams such as Brazil, Colombia and Germany.
Having won the 2018 World Cup in Russia and reached the final of the 2022 edition in Qatar, boss Didier Deschamps is expected to take the country far again, and anything other than a deep run would be disappointing considering the talent he has at his disposal.
There is a chance for Kylian Mbappe to make history on Monday given his tally of 56 goals for Les Bleus means he is one shy of the nation's leading scorer Olivier Giroud, though he has only scored once in his last four games for his country.
Centre-back William Saliba will reportedly play through pain at this summer's tournament, with his back said to be troubling him, so perhaps he will be named in the XI in order to get him up to speed.
Northern Ireland failed to qualify for the World Cup after losing 2-0 to Italy in the semi-finals of a playoff in March, and they now have failed to reach the finals of 10 consecutive tournaments.
The Green and White Army should not be harshly criticised for missing out on the competition, but given the Italians also failed to qualify for the competition in North America, it would be understandable if supporters looked back on that match with regret.
Manager Michael O'Neill will hope that his side can avoid a fourth consecutive defeat against France, with the nation losing 4-0 in 1958, 4-1 in 1982 and 1-0 in 1999.
Northern Ireland won 1-0 against Guinea on Thursday, but given Tom Atcheson was sent off in that match, the most likely candidate to feature in the centre-back's place is Trai Hume.
France vs. Northern Ireland form guide & betting tips
| France | vs | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
WWWWL |
Form | LWLDW |
| 13 | Goals For | 3 |
| 5 | Goals Against | 4 |
WDWWL |
Friendly Form | LLWDW |
Whispers predicts: France 3-1 Northern Ireland
France not only boast a strong record against Northern Ireland, but they will be playing on home soil, so it is hardly surprising to see the bookmakers price a home win at 1/8.
While Northern Ireland will want to avoid an embarrassing result, their hosts have regularly scored at least three goals in friendly matches, meaning it may be sensible to back France to Score Over 2.5 Goals at 7/10 (1.7).
However, the away side could find their way onto the scoreboard given France have kept just one clean sheet in their last five games, so there may be value in predicting Both Teams to Score at 5/4 (2.25).
France will still be expected to win even if they concede, and it could make sense to back France to Win the Second Half at 7/20 (1.35) considering Northern Ireland have struggled to remain defensively compact after the interval recently.
> France to Score Over 2.5 Goals at 7/10 (1.7) | Likelihood: Probable
> Both Teams to Score at 5/4 (2.25) | Likelihood: Possible
> France to Win the Second Half at 7/20 (1.35) | Likelihood: Possible