France vs Ivory Coast Preview & Betting Tips - Expect goals in thrilling contest
France and Ivory Coast meet in a World Cup preparation friendly, with both teams boasting impressive attacking talent and recent high-scoring results. France remain undefeated against Ivory Coast, with the last encounter ending 2-1 in their favor. Both sides are likely to experiment with lineups, but maintain an offensive approach. Given current trends—France’s last nine games and Ivory Coast’s last five mostly seeing over 2.5 goals—fans can expect an open, entertaining clash filled with goals.
- France are unbeaten in 9 matches and have never lost to Ivory Coast.
- Both teams’ recent games often produce over 2.5 goals.
- Key players missing for both sides, but offensive quality remains strong.
France and the Ivory Coast continue their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as they meet in an international friendly on Thursday.
Both teams like to play on the front foot, and given the attacking quality on display, I fancy this clash to produce goals.
Key Stats
- Eight of France’s last nine matches in all competitions have produced over 2.5 goals.
- Four of Ivory Coast’s last five matches in all competitions have produced over 2.5 goals.
- Two of the three previous meetings between both teams have produced over 2.5 goals.
France Unbeaten against the Elephants
France have never lost in this fixture, picking up two wins and a draw in three previous matches against the Ivory Coast. The most recent meeting was a friendly in 2022, with Les Bleus earning a 2-1 victory.
France Showing Consistency
France lost in the final of the previous World Cup and are widely considered one of the favourites to win this competition this year. Their qualifying campaign was pretty smooth as Didier Deschamps’ men went unbeaten in six matches.
It has been mostly smooth sailing for France lately. They are unbeaten in their last nine matches, picking up eight wins in this run. Les Bleus won their last two friendlies back in March, claiming a 2-1 victory over Brazil before a 3-1 triumph over Colombia.
France boast one of the best forward lines in the world at the moment, with Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappe all at the top of their game. They also favour an open style of play, which has seen eight of their last 10 matches produce over 2.5 goals.
Ivory Coast Holding Their Own
Ivory Coast are playing with confidence at the moment and showing some good form, stretching back to the World Cup qualifiers. The Elephants were unbeaten in that campaign and also reached the quarter-finals of the AFCON in Morocco.
The 3-2 quarter-final defeat to Egypt at the AFCON has been the only blemish for the Ivory Coast lately, having gone unbeaten in seven of their last eight matches in all competitions. Emerse Fae’s team also won their two friendlies in March, earning a 4-0 victory over South Korea before beating Scotland 1-0.
Like the French, the Ivory Coast like to play on the front foot, while they also boast plenty of quality going forward. Four of their last five matches in all competitions have produced over 2.5 goals.
Team News
France (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate, Lucas Digne; N’golo Kante, Aurelien Tchouameni; Maghnes Akliouche, Rayan Cherki, Michael Olise; Kylian Mbappe.
The likes of Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and William Saliba are unlikely to feature for France, having played the UEFA Champions League final last weekend. Striker Hugo Ekitike was not included in the World Cup roster, having picked up an injury earlier in the year.
Ivory Coast (4-4-2): Yahia Fofana; Wilfred Singo, Odilon Koussounou; Evan Ndicka, Ghislain Konan; Nicolas Pepe, Franck Kessie, Seko Fofana, Simon Adingra; Ange-Yoane Bonny, Evan Guessand.
Left-back Clement Akpa was part of the Ivory Coast's initial squad but withdrew through injury. Forwards Sebastien Haller and Wilfried Zaha were also left out of the final squad for the World Cup.
Verdict
Being a preparatory match for the World Cup, both managers are likely to chop and change as they fine-tune their plans for the Mundial. One thing that will remain constant is their preference for attacking football, and I expect Thursday’s clash to produce goals.
Over 2.5
Total Goals
@9/13 - 3 Units
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