France vs Ivory Coast: Reigning world champions to win comfortably

France and Ivory Coast last met in 2016, when they drew 0-0. Will the opponents be able to decide the winner now? We predict that the French will win comfortably!

France are the reigning world champion and are preparing to defend their title in Qatar. Didier Deschamps’ men did not look like a ferocious piece of work in the World Cup qualifiers, with occasional penalties, but their rivals got even more wrong, and so they won their qualifying group for the 2022 World Cup by a margin of six points. Of course, the coaching staff called up all the country’s strongest players for the March friendlies, as there will not be many opportunities to test them before the tournament in Qatar, so Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba and others were called up to the national team.

The Ivorian national team is one of the strongest national teams on the African continent. One would think that with such a powerful squad, the Orange should be hugely successful on the international stage, but the reality is the same. The last time they qualified for the World Cup was in 2014, after which there was a serious slump, and even in the African Nations Cup, the Elephants cannot boast of decent results, where the level of competition is not as high. At the CAF-2022, they lost in the last 16 to Egypt, albeit in a penalty shoot-out.

France and Ivory Coast have played two head-to-head games throughout their history. Both times they have played friendly matches: in 2005, the French team players were stronger - 3-0, and in 2016, a draw was recorded - 0-0.

France and Ivory Coast are on a completely different level. Yes, if you look at the opposing team, you can see lots of star players in the squads of both teams, but the French team can turn into a powerful gang and win the World Cup, and the Elephants cannot remember anything worthy even at the continental championship level. Of course, Didier Deschamps’ charges are the unconditional favorites in the upcoming battle, so we are forced to bet on the victory of the French team with a handicap (-1.5) for 2.20.

The French team is approaching the upcoming match with their excellent results in recent games. Didier Deschamps’s charges have won five games in a row, and they have scored quite a few goals in these meetings, namely 17 goals (3.40 average per game) which is a solid figure. Although the upcoming battle is a friendly, France have called up all the key players to the national team, so France Total Over 2.5 goals for 2.83 seems to be the best option for our prediction.

The French national team has a powerful attacking lineup, but Kylian Mbappe stands out even in the background. This season for the Parisians in all competitions, he played 37 games in which he scored 26 goals (0.70 average per game) which is a powerful figure. In qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar, the 23-year-old prodigy scored five goals in six games, so he is even more productive in the national team shirt. Given Karim Benzema’s poor health, a bet on Kylian Mbappe’s goal is worth considering for 2.00.