Preview: Ivory Coast vs. Benin - prediction, team news, lineups

Ivory Coast return to action for the first time since claiming a third African title when they face Benin at Stade de la Licorne on Saturday.

Emerse Fae has since been appointed permanently, and they hope to get the better of Gernot Rohr's side in this weekend's exhibition game in Amiens.

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Match preview

Barely a month has passed since Ivory Coast won the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, and Fae leads his team out as favourites in Saturday's friendly in France.

The Elephants were on the brink of elimination after two defeats to Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea meant they needed other group-stage results going their way to advance.

It played out to their advantage, and the three-time African champions' willpower came to the fore in the knockout rounds, while they were boosted by the returns of Simon Adingra and Sebastien Haller, who combined for the winning strike against the Super Eagles.

Not much is on the line in Amiens, but Fae hopes it does not deter his team from showing the best version of themselves on Saturday, keen to build on the team's Cup of Nations success in the lead-up to June's World Cup qualifying games against Gabon and Kenya.

The Elephants' pre-AFCON friendly results were mixed — winning four, drawing two and losing three — but they go into this one as African champions looking to flex their muscle against Rohr's men.

By contrast, Benin were not at the Cup of Nations and would have been rank outsiders to have any chance of winning the title.

However, this round of international friendlies against the Elephants and Senegal sees the Cheetahs pit against top African sides as they build up to June's World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Nigeria.

The lowly West African side are already playing catch-up in Group C, having lost 2-1 to South Africa and played out a goalless encounter away to Lesotho, leaving Rohr's side three points shy of table-topping Rwanda.

Results under the former Nigeria boss have been underwhelming, with the 70-year-old manager still searching for his first victory at the eighth time of asking.

It remains to be seen if they stun the African champions, as they have zero momentum and are facing a side still buoyed by their triumph on home soil.

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Team News

Haller, the Cup of Nations final hero, is missing with an ankle injury expected to keep him out until early April.

Also absent is Serge Aurier, whose back injury rules him out until next month, while Christian Kouame has not been included in the squad.

Benin's star player is Brest's Steve Mounie, who has contributed to five goals in 24 appearances (13 starts) for the high-flying Ligue 1 side.

Jodel Dossou of Sochaux, Saturnin Allagbe and Anger's Cedric Hountondji should have decent-to-good impacts for the Cheetahs on Saturday.

Ivory Coast possible starting lineup: Fofana; Singo, Kossounou, Diomande, Konan; Fofana, Seri, Kessie; Pepe, Krasso, Adingra

Benin possible starting lineup: Allagbe; Moumini, C. Hountondji, Tijani, Kiki; D'Almeida, Olaitan; J. Dossou, Dodo, A. Hountondji; Mounie

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We say: Ivory Coast 3-1 Benin

Despite Haller's absence, the African champions should have too much for an out-of-form Benin side that have won one in 11 competitive and non-competitive games, suffering five losses, even if Mounie's presence means the Cheetahs have a chance of nicking one goal at the other hand.

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