France vs Ivory Coast Predictions

• France have won four of their last six home friendlies to nil.
• Ivory Coast have failed to score in their last two away friendlies.
• Ivory Coast have failed to score in their past two visits to France for friendlies.

France can keep things clean against the Elephants

France are fancied to get the win against Ivory Coast in Friday’s international friendly at the Stade Velodrome and they can probably do so with a clean sheet too.

Didier Deschamps has named a very strong squad that is only missing injured Karim Benzema from its galaxy of stars and he’s likely to select a settled line-up for this first of two World Cup warm-up matches. Ivory Coast coach Patrice Beaumelle has gone with almost the same group of players that went out to Egypt in the AFCON’s last-16 last January when Eric Bailly missed the decisive spot-kick.

The Elephants weren’t disgraced in Cameroon, but their failure to make the African World Cup play-offs this month shows where they are as a team right now. The majority of the players are in the prime of their careers so there will be real dismay at not making Qatar 2022.

Friendly record points to home win

Ivory Coast rarely win away friendlies, although they have drawn at Belgium within the last two years and against France on their last meeting six years ago. France, however, rarely do anything but win when in front of the French public and will probably justify their short price for this fixture.

Les Bleus’ only slip-ups lately came when Deschamps played a third-string XI plus Paul Pogba in a 2-0 home defeat to Finland and in a 2-2 draw with Iceland in which they actually trailed 2-0 until five minutes before full-time.

Their home record suggests it’s worth backing France to win to nil as four of their last six home friendly wins have been accompanied by clean sheets while Ivory Coast have ben blanked in their last two on the road. A 2-0 home win is our preferred correct score play as that would equal two of France’s last five overall results and their last two at the Velodrome.