Deschamps takes France to Nantes to face Ivory Coast before the World Cup
France's World Cup preparation rolls into Nantes on Thursday, and there is a neat bit of symmetry to it. Didier Deschamps came through the Nantes academy as a teenager. Now, in the cycle he has said will be his last in charge, he brings the national team back to the Stade de la Beaujoire to face Ivory Coast.
A proper test, not a gentle one
Ivory Coast are not warm-up filler. They won the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil in early 2024 and have qualified for the World Cup in their own right. They bring pace and physical runners who will stretch France's defenders in a way a softer friendly never could. For a side still settling on its best back four, that is exactly the sort of examination Deschamps wants now rather than in July.
Deschamps' last lap
Deschamps will not stay on beyond this World Cup, closing out a spell that began in 2012 and brought the 2018 title in Russia. France travel to North America as one of the favourites, with Kylian Mbappe leading the line and a forward group most nations would envy.
There is a second friendly to come, against Northern Ireland on 8 June, so Thursday is about minutes and shape rather than a finished starting eleven. Expect Deschamps to look hard at his options before he commits.
What to watch
Keep an eye on how France's defence handles Ivorian runners in behind, and on whether Deschamps settles on a front three or keeps rotating. The result will be forgotten by the time the tournament starts. The answers it gives him might not be.
Cricket Updates
