Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae has vowed to go "eyeball-to-eyeball" with Germany in their 2026 World Cup Group E clash at BMO Field in Toronto on Saturday.
Kick-off is at 10pm CAT (SA, GMT+2).
CURRENT FORM:
The Elephants started the tournament on the front foot after beating Ecuador 1-0 on 14 June to win their opening match for only the second time in four appearances.
Fae's side had to dig deep though, as Amad Diallo scored the winner in the 90th minute to see off a spirited La Tri, who created numerous chances themselves and struck the woodwork three times.
The West Africans have now made it four wins in a row this year since their exit at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations at the hands of Egypt in the quarterfinals (a 3-2 defeat).
Ivory Coast claimed impressive victories over South Korea (4-0), Scotland (1-0) and France (2-1) in the build-up to the global showpiece.
Die Mannschaft declared their title intentions by thrashing debutants Curacao 7-1 on 14 June - their second-biggest win following the 8-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia in the 2002 edition.
Six different players got in on the act, with Kai Havertz (45+5' PEN, 88') bagging a brace while Felix Nmecha (6'), Nico Schlotterbeck (38'), Jamal Musiala (47'), Nathaniel Brown (68'), and Deniz Undav (78') also added to the scoreline.
Julian Nagelsmann's side have a perfect record in 2026 as well, defeating Switzerland (4-3), Ghana (2-1), Finland (4-0) and World Cup co-costs United States (2-1).
What was said:
Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae
"It will be a difficult match again, it's Germany. They have lots and lots of experience. World Cup, they have won it a few times. They have players playing in the greatest European clubs. They have striking power.
"[Winning] 7-1 for the first match in this competition, it's not nothing, but we'll go there to win. With the mind to win and to get to our qualification from the second day on.
"We'll go eyeball-to-eyeball with them and we'll try to give it our all. We have our own qualities. We'll lean on our own strength and we'll try to bring down the German wall."'
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Germany - Florian Wirtz struggled to make an impact at Liverpool following his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen in July 2025, scoring just five goals in 33 Premier League appearances. But the 23-year-old attacking midfielder is an integral member of Nagelsmann's team, contributing 11 goals and 12 assists in 42 games. He scored two and set up two against the Swiss in March and provided the assist for Nmecha's opener against Curacao.
Ivory Coast - Yan Diomande continues to catch the eye after playing another starring role against Ecuador. The 19-year-old winger, who has already earned 11 caps for his country, had 80 touches on the ball, 15 carries into enemy territory and was heavily involved in their attacking moves with 12 touches in the opposition box, while managing two shots at goal.
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
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