The French national football team is certainly one of the top contenders for the upcoming World Cup. However, after nine consecutive matches without a loss recording eight wins and one draw, they suffered a sobering 1-2 defeat in their most recent friendly against Cote d'Ivoire. Norther Ireland is not a particularly tough test. Ranked 70th in the FIFA world rankings, they did not qualify for the World Cup. Therefore, a victory for France is the most expeted thing to happen. Since a clear reaction from the French is to be expected, who want to erase the friendly defeat against the Ivorians with the most dominant performance possible. Northern Ireland, under Michael O'Neill, will field a significantly younger team that hasn't played together very often in this formation. With the exception of striker Josh Magennis, only Jamie Reid is experienced. Despite their 1-0 friendly win against Guinea, this time the opponent is different. The paths of the two national teams have crossed eight times including at a major tournament when France knocked Northern Ireland out of the competition with a 4-0 victory in the quarter-finals of the 58 World Cup.