France will be looking to extend their winning streak to six straight victories when they welcome Ivory Coast to Marseille in an international friendly Friday evening with a kickoff at 11:15 pm.
The French have not played since beating Finland 2-0 in their final 2022 World Cup qualifying match last November. Still, the Ivory Coast played two months ago at the Africa Cup of Nations, reaching the knockout round before losing to finalists Egypt on penalties.
France has to be favourites going into the World Cup in 2022. The Blues are the reigning world champions, having impressed at the 2018 tournament.
They will also be looking to bounce back from a disappointing European Championship campaign back in 2017, where they lost in the last-16 stage of the competition to Switzerland.
Didier Deschamps’s side also has recent success in the UEFA Nations League, where they topped their group and beat Belgium and Spain in the semi-finals and final towards the end of last year. The French national team will be back in action on June 6th against Denmark in their section opener.
Côte d’Ivoire finished second in their qualification group behind Cameroon, failing to qualify for this year’s World Cup. Ivory Coast contested the 2006, 2010, and 2014 World Cups but didn’t make it to Russia.
France vs. Ivory Coast Head to Head
Both sides are yet to face each other, and this marks their first encounter. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Finland 0-2 France
- France 8-0 Kazakhstan
- Spain 1-2 France
- Belgium 2-3 France
- France 2-0 Finland
Away
- Ivory Coast 0-0 Egypt
- Ivory Coast 3-1 Algeria
- Sierra Leone 2-2 Ivory Coast
- Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Ivory Coast
- Cameroon 1-0 Ivory Coast
France Team News
Benjamin Pavard has been forced to withdraw from the France squad after testing positive for coronavirus, while N’Golo Kante is a doubt, having left the camp due to personal reasons. Lucas Digne is also a doubt through injury, so Theo Hernandez could play at left-back against Peru, while Jules Koundé might feature as the right-back for Didier Deschamps’ side.
Ivory Coast Team News
The visitors should line up as expected, with Jean Michael Seri playing alongside Ibrahim Sangare in the middle of the park. As for Burkina Faso, Ghana-born forward Bertrand Traore is likely to start an attack.
Prediction and Odds
There will be little pressure on either side, but we think that France will outclass the visitors in the end.
- France Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- Both Teams to Score
