- Curacao have lost 4 of their last 5 matches in all competitions, winning 1.
- Ivory Coast have won 4 of their last 5 games, including 3 of their previous 4 away matches.
- Ivory Coast have taken 3 points from their opening FIFA World Cup match to sit second in Group E.
Elephants poised to dominate in Philadelphia
Curacao may find themselves in their next fixture against Ivory Coast in Philadelphia on Thursday as the 'Elephants' look to take another step towards qualifying for the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup.
The Caribbean underdogs sit fourth in FIFA World Cup Group E after an opening match day loss and a mauling 7-1 defeat at the hands of Germany.
It's fair to say that their prospects of getting anything from this game against the pre-tournament favourites for the African continent are slim, but they've got their counter-attacking weapons at hand.
Livano Comenencia, the 29-year-old forward who scored in Curacao's 7-1 defeat to Germany, is their main attacking threat but also the one glimmer of hope that they can score in this fixture.
Discipline key to Ivory Coast's chances
Emerse Faé took charge of the Ivory Coast in January of 2024 and has since instilled a new sense of tactical discipline and organisation in the squad, particularly in the central areas of the pitch.
The Elephants prefer a more structured, controlled approach to football, typically in a 4-3-3 formation, but occasionally favouring a 4-2-3-1 when the occasion demands. They'll look to control the tempo of the game, press selectively and with plenty of numbers when the ball is in central areas and look to break opponents down with incisive passes into the half-spaces ahead.
Dick Advocaat is an experienced head coach with a solid reputation on the international circuit and he's moved swiftly to establish a similarly pragmatic but flexible system that is compact and counter-attacking when they need be.
Ivory Coast to show their class
They're favourites to take 3 points from this clash, so it's no surprise to see them priced as short as 7/50 for the victory at the time of writing. That's a price that we're simply not interested in, but the odds on both teams to score - No at 12/25 do appeal a bit more.
We believe that Faé's men can keep it tight at the back and control the ball for large periods of this game, so with their squad depth and recent form, it's hard to see any value in anything other than an Ivory Coast win.
The two attackers in question are Amad Diallo, who leads the line for the Ivory Coast and scored in their Group E opener, and Wilfried Singo, who brings creativity and can also get forward, having assisted in the same fixture already.
