France will try to make it seven straight wins on Tuesday night when they play South Africa at Stade Pierre-Mauroy with kickoff at 10:15 pm.
Didier Deschamps’s French side will enter Sunday’s World Cup final against Germany on a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast, while South Africa played out a goalless draw with Guinea.
On Friday, France defeated Ivory Coast 2-1. Aurelien Tchouameni provided the winning goal in second-half stoppage time after Olivier Giroud had cancelled out a 19th-minute opener from Nicolas Pepe in Marseille.
France will round off their national team break with a friendly against South Africa before turning their attention to the UEFA Nations League, which begins at home to Denmark on June 3.
France will be looking to the 2022 World Cup, which is expected to make a serious impact; their national team picked up 18 points from their eight matches to comfortably finish top of Group D.
South Africa, meanwhile, will enter the World Cup off the back of a goalless draw with Guinea on Friday. The first match since their elimination from the African Nations Cup last November, that defeat to Ghana was vital as they went into their three remaining matches needing to win each one to qualify.
Their opponents knew it too. But they proved unable to take advantage of opportunities in Thursday’s draw in Nelspruit.
France vs South Africa Head to Head
Both sides have one game against each other, with the visitors taking one win while the hosts are winless. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- France 2-1 Ivory Coast
- Finland 0-2 France
- France 8-0 Kazakhstan
- Spain 1-2 France
- Belgium 2-3 France
Away
- South Africa 0-0 Guinea
- Ghana 1-0 South Africa
- South Africa 1-0 Zimbabwe
- South Africa 1-0 Ethiopia
- Ghana 0-1 South Africa
France Team News
France boss Didier Deschamps will make several changes to the team that lost 2-0 to Ivory Coast. The Manchester United defender Raphael Varane (hamstring) is doubtful, so William Saliba is likely to be in line for a chance at centre-back.
South Africa Team News
The starting XI for this match will be familiar to the team that played their last match, with Evidence Makgopa likely to take the role of right-back on the right of a back three. It may be that Mothobi Mvala drops to the bench, allowing Ethan Brooks to feature in the heart of midfield.
Prediction and Odds
France should have too much quality for their opponents, and we’re predicting a comfortable home win in this game.
- France Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- No Score: Away
