Didier Deschamps is coaching his last World Cup. France are favourites to win it. And their best centre back just aggravated a back injury in the Champions League final and is now a genuine doubt for the entire tournament.
William Saliba played the PSG game carrying discomfort. Left the pitch worse than he arrived. And now France's defensive spine heading into North America has a crack running right through it. Upamecano is there. Konate steps in. The depth is real. But Saliba is not just a defender — he is the one who makes the others around him better, who covers ground nobody else in the squad can cover, who makes France feel genuinely unbeatable for ninety minutes. Losing him for the tournament would be one of the great cruel twists of this World Cup preparation period.
Ivory Coast are coming to Nantes having beaten South Korea 4-0 and Scotland 1-0 in March, and they are about to face Germany, Ecuador and Curacao in Group E. This is the best possible preparation Emerse Fae could have arranged. France before the tournament, in France, with a packed house making the noise French home grounds make on international nights. They are missing Evan Ndicka and Clement Akpa through injury but the squad is deep enough. Amad Diallo had three goals at AFCON. Yan Diomande scored twelve Bundesliga goals this season. Wahi and Adingra are both in form.
France are nine games unbeaten, have scored at least twice in every one of those nine matches, and Mbappe is one goal away from equalling Olivier Giroud's all-time France scoring record. Deschamps is not running out of storylines in his final tournament.
France vs Ivory Coast: Key Stats
Head-to-head: France 2 wins, Ivory Coast 0 wins, 1 draw from 3 meetings
France: Unbeaten in their last 9 internationals, winning 8
France: Scored at least 2 goals in every one of those 9 matches
France: Beat Brazil 2-1 and Colombia 3-1 in their last two friendlies
France: Saliba out with a back injury, a major World Cup doubt
France: PSG quintet Dembele, Doue, Barcola, Zaire-Emery and Hernandez may be rested
France: Mbappe one goal from equalling Giroud's all-time France record of 57
France: World Cup Group I — Senegal, Iraq, Norway
Ivory Coast: Won their last 2 friendlies without conceding
Ivory Coast: Missing Evan Ndicka and Clement Akpa through injury
Ivory Coast: World Cup Group E — Germany, Ecuador, Curacao
Photo Credit (Getty Images)
What to Expect
France will rotate and still be formidable. Deschamps resting his PSG players after the Champions League final makes complete sense and Kante at 35, making a case for a starting spot at the World Cup, provides the midfield anchor that the team misses when he is not there. Mbappe starts, almost certainly, one goal from history. Olise or Akliouche alongside him gives France creative options from wide areas that would challenge any defence in the world. Konate steps in for Saliba at centre back and the question of how France's defence looks without their best organiser is one Deschamps needs answered before June 16.
Ivory Coast have the quality to make this uncomfortable in the opening stages. Kessie and Sangare in midfield give them physical presence. Pepe off the bench or from the start brings experience and the kind of unpredictable left foot that gave France problems in their 2022 friendly. Diomande has been one of the most impressive central midfielders in the Bundesliga this season and at 22 years old, walking into Stade de la Beaujoire against France is exactly the kind of stage that defines a World Cup squad position. They are not here to lose politely. But four of their last five games have gone over 2.5 goals and France scoring at least twice in nine straight games is the most relevant number in this entire preview.
Predicted Lineups
France (4-2-3-1)
Maignan; Kounde, Konate, Upamecano, Digne; Kante, Tchouameni; Olise, Cherki, Mbappe; Thuram
Ivory Coast (4-3-3)
Y. Fofana; Doue, Kossounou, O. Diomande, Konan; Sangare, Kessie, S. Fofana; Pepe, Wahi, Adingra
Players to Watch
Kylian Mbappe - One goal from Giroud's all-time France record on home soil in Nantes before the World Cup. The motivation to reach that milestone on Thursday night rather than waiting for Senegal on June 16 is obvious. France's entire attacking structure is built around giving him the right moments and Ivory Coast's defence without Ndicka is the kind of challenge he tends to solve quickly.
Rayan Cherki - Just came off an outstanding Champions League final performance for PSG and walks into the France squad with more confidence than any other player in this camp right now. He creates from narrow central areas and finds angles others cannot see. Thursday is his chance to show Deschamps he deserves a starting role at the tournament.
Yan Diomande - Twelve Bundesliga goals this season for RB Leipzig and the most exciting young talent in this Ivory Coast squad. He is physical, technically gifted, and plays with the confidence of someone who has been tearing through Europe's top leagues all year. If Ivory Coast are going to create anything against France's defensive unit, it comes through his movement and vision in central areas.
Elye Wahi - The young Marseille striker has been one of the most prolific forwards in Ligue 1 this season and leads Ivory Coast's attack alongside Adingra. He plays in France every week and knows the style of football Deschamps teams produce. One good moment from him and Ivory Coast have something to take into their Group E campaign.
Prediction
Prediction: France to win and over 2.5 goals @ 1.80
France have scored at least twice in nine consecutive internationals and Ivory Coast have seen over 2.5 goals in four of their last five matches. Both teams play on the front foot, both teams are missing defensive cover, and Mbappe is chasing a personal milestone that makes him even more dangerous than usual. Deschamps rotates but France's attacking depth is simply too much to suppress for ninety minutes. France win comfortably, Mbappe almost certainly reaches that record, and both sets of supporters leave Nantes having seen the kind of open, entertaining football that friendlies rarely deliver but World Cup warm-ups occasionally produce when the quality is this high.
