Ivory Coast will get their CAF World Cup qualification campaign underway this week when they take on the Seychelles at Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan on Friday evening.
Ranked ninth among all African teams according to FIFA, Ivory Coast come into this competition as the favourites to win this group and to go on to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup main draw.
Match preview
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The Elephants missed out on qualification by two points in the last edition of the World Cup, beaten by Cameroon, who went on to deny Algeria a spot in the premier international football tournament in the final round of qualifying.
However, the hosts have been much improved since then, having reached the last 16 of the CAF African Nations Championship earlier in the year and finishing second in their group in the AFCON qualifiers, which they participated in despite earning automatic qualification as the host nation.
Ivory Coast are now unbeaten in their last three matches, including back-to-back 1-1 draws in two friendly matches last month against South Africa and Africa's highest-ranked side, Morocco.
The Elephants are heavily fancied to win this match, as they boast an excellent record of only one loss in their last 10 matches on their home patch while drawing three and winning six in that time.
Meanwhile, Seychelles are expected to find it difficult in this one as they come into the match following three consecutive losses in the COSAFA Cup back in July, conceding nine goals in that time.
While the visitors managed a 1-0 win over Bangladesh in a friendly match back in March, that was the only victory they have earned in their last 50 matches in all competitions dating back to 2016.
Seychelles were beaten 4-2 in their last match by Zambia, marking their fifth consecutive home defeat, though the one positive they could take from the match was that it was the first time they scored two goals in a home game since January 2020 when they drew 2-2 against Mauritius.
The Pirates are the second-lowest-ranked team in Africa behind Somalia and failed to qualify for the upcoming African Cup of Nations when they lost 3-1 to Lesotho in the preliminary round last year.
Team News
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Ivory Coast have class throughout the pitch, and Wilfried Zaha is likely to spearhead the hosts' attack alongside Nicolas Pepe and Sebastien Haller.
Ah-Ahli's Franck Kessie is expected to partner Jean Michael Seri in the engine room, with Ibrahim Sangare occupying the holding role in front of the defence.
Ralph Jean-Louis, on the other hand, faces something of a crisis, with players reportedly boycotting training sessions ahead of the upcoming matches.
Among the players spotted in the camp were goalkeeper Jerome Dingwall, defender Jones Joubert and midfielders Brandon Labrosse and Elijah Tamboo.
Ivory Coast possible starting lineup:
Gbohouo; Aurier, Bailly, Deli, Konan; Kessie, Seri, Sangare; Pepe, Haller, Zaha
Seychelles possible starting lineup:
Dingwall; Esther, Joubert, Marie, Brioche; Melanie, Labrosse; Tamboo, Hall, Monnaie; Belle
We say: Ivory Coast 3-0 Seychelles
Aside from their poor run of results, Seychelles football is going through a very difficult period at present, which does not bode well for their chances here. In contrast, Ivory Coast have a world-class squad, and we expect they will come through this match with an easy win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
