World Cup 2014 team profile: Ivory Coast
Didier Drogba will make his final bow for Ivory Coast at a major tournament in Brazil but the west African country hopes a new generation of strikers can drive it past the first round at the World Cup finals.
The 36-year-old Drogba has been a talismanic figure for his country, leading them to the last two World Cups and five successive African Nations Cup finals, but he is in the twilight of his career after scoring 61 goals in 99 appearances.
Drogba can no longer be assured of a berth in the starting line-up where the Ivorians can look to Wilfried Bony, Seydou Doumbia or Lacina Traore to lead the attack.
Salomon Kalou and Gervinho provide other options as the dependency on Drogba has dissipated over the past 18 months.
Ivory Coast has a much better chance in Brazil than in its two previous tournament appearances. The Elephants were eliminated after their first two matches in the 2006 finals in Germany, after going down to Argentina and the Netherlands, before beating Serbia.
In South Africa four years ago they drew against Portugal, lost to Brazil and beat North Korea but four points was not enough to progress.
Ivory Coast's consistent failures in the African Nations Cup have earned the team a reputation as chokers. The team developed a habit of cruising through their early matches, before producing one ponderous performance to be eliminated in the knockout rounds.
Twice in the last five tournaments they have lost the African Nations Cup final on penalties.
But with modest ambitions in Brazil, and none of the pressure of being a fancied team, it could prove a successful swansong for Drogba and a successful introduction for players like Serge Aurier and Bony.
Prediction:
- With a host of exciting strikers and one of the world's best midfielders in Yaya Toure, Ivory Coast will be aiming to make the knockout rounds. Progression past the round of 16 could, however, be halted with the likely trio of Uruguay, England and Italy lying in wait.
Ivory Coast's 23-man World Cup squad
Star player: Yaya Toure
One of the best midfielders in the world, Yaya Toure can dominate the middle of the park either as a defensive anchorman or an attacking lynchpin.
A midfield phenomenon in the English Premier League, Yaya Toure has scored 16 goals for his national side.
After being spotted by Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger - who thought the player would go on to become a leading striker - Toure passed on the chance to sign for the Gunners, eventually joining Greek side Olympiakos.
But his stay in Greece would not last long as a transfer to Barcelona beckoned, a club with which he would eventually win the Champions League.
Frozen out of the Catalan club, Toure joined Manchester City, where he won the FA Cup in 2011, before playing a key role in the club's dramatic 2011/12 Premier League title win.
Now a key cog in City's dynamic midfield, Toure has established himself as one of the premier midfielders in world football.
Coach: Sabri Lamouchi
Ivory Coast coach Sabri Lamouchi, the youngest man in charge of any of the 32 finalists, had never coached before his surprise elevation to the job in 2012, just before the start of the World Cup qualifiers, but now he finds himself bound for Brazil.
The former France international's appointment to one of the biggest jobs in African football, after being an armchair analyst on French television, was controversial as it came just months after Francois Zahoui had taken the Ivorian team to the final of the African Nations Cup.
Lamouchi, 42, has struggled to win over fans in his first coaching post although the convincing way that his team triumphed over Senegal in the World Cup play-offs relieved some of the tension.
He was in the France line-up in the Euro 96 semi-final defeat to the Czech Republic and was one of six players cut from the squad by manager Aime Jacquet on the eve of the 1998 World Cup, which the French went on to win.
Lamouchi's record in charge of the Ivorians is 10 wins in 18 matches with six draws and two defeats.
Just one victory against Colombia, Greece or Asian champions Japan in Group C could be enough for the country to advance in what looks like an equally balanced quartet.
ABC/Reuters