Ivory Coast forward Yan Diomande would prefer to join Paris St-Germain, as the French club aim to agree a deal with RB Leipzig in the coming weeks.

Liverpool had an initial bid of £69m, plus £17m in add-ons, rejected this month for the 19-year-old.

Leipzig are expected to demand about £129m for Diomande, who joined from Spanish club Leganes last summer on a five-year deal.

The club insist they are under under no financial pressure to sell, and are prepared to offer Diomande an improved contract to keep him for at least another season.

Image source, Getty Images

Ivory Coast qualified for the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time ever by finishing second in Group E.

The Elephants are one of the record nine African teams to reach the round of 32 and have won five of their last six games in all competitions.

Ivory Coast have won only one of their last five World Cup matches against European teams (W1 D1 L3).

Norway, meanwhile, have lost just two of their 19 matches against African nations in all competitions (W9 D8 L2).

Image source, Getty Images

Ivory Coast reached the World Cup round of 32 by finishing second in Group E with six points, marking the first knockout‑stage qualification in their history.

Their campaign opened with a last minute 1-0 win over Ecuador, followed by a narrow 2-1 loss to Germany.

They sealed their place as group runners-up with a composed 2-0 victory over Curacao, powered by a Nicolas Pepe brace.

At his first major international tournament, Erling Haaland has already scored four goals in two appearances against Iraq and Senegal, twice in both games.

All of his 10 shots at the World Cup have been first-time efforts, with seven of them on target.

He touched the ball just 42 times against Iraq and Senegal, the fewest of any Norwegian to complete both games, and is averaging a goal every 10.5 touches.

Haaland has now struck at least once in each of his last 12 competitive appearances for Norway.

“I’m just really good at scoring goals. I don’t know what I’m doing, but that’s just how it is,” said Haaland.

Will he be on the scoresheet again this evening?

Image source, Getty Images

Norway reached the World Cup round of 32 by finishing second in Group I with six points.

They opened with a dominant 4-1 win over Iraq, then followed it up with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Senegal, where Erling Haaland scored a brace to secure qualification with a game to spare.

With their knockout spot already confirmed, Norway heavily rotated their squad for the final group match against France, resting the likes of Haaland and Martin Odegaard.

The weakened side lost 4-1, but their earlier wins ensured they still finished as runners‑up behind France.

After already securing a spot in the round of 32, Norway boss Stale Solbakken decided to leave Erling Haaland on the bench in their 4-1 defeat to France.

“It would have made no sense to play [Haaland] and risk him getting an injury,” said Solbakken. “I have no regrets. I stand 100% behind the decision I made.”

Haaland is fully expected to return to the starting line-up against Ivory Coast and will be hoping to add to his four goals at the tournament and stay in the Golden Boot race.

Image source, Getty Images

On to the day's first tie, Ivory Coast v Norway...

I'm tempted to say that 'love is blind' Mattias, but in a World Cup of surprises, who knows?

Sweden reached the World Cup round of 32 by finishing third in Group F with four points, qualifying as one of the eight best third‑placed teams.

Their path has been turbulent and filled with lots of goals at both ends.

Sweden opened the group stage with a commanding 5-1 win over Tunisia but then suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to the Netherlands.

The final game was met with a tense 1-1 draw with Japan, secured through an Anthony Elanga equaliser.

France reached the World Cup round of 32 by winning all three of their Group I matches, finishing with a perfect nine points and a +8 goal difference.

They opened with a 3-1 win over Senegal, powered by two Kylian Mbappe goals - including one long-range stunner.

Mbappe struck twice again in a 3-0 victory over Iraq, which broke the French all-time goalscoring record.

With their spot in the next round already secured, France still closed the group in style by defeating Norway 4-1, thanks to an Ousmane Dembele hat‑trick and a late Desire Doue goal.

Certainly a strong start for France.

After waiting almost a century to meet at a World Cup, the two nations will finally cross paths on football’s biggest stage.

Since the first World Cup in 1930, France and Sweden have been regulars at the tournament, with Les Bleus playing 76 matches and the Scandinavians featuring in 54.

Despite that long shared history, they’ve never met at a World Cup - but they’re not complete strangers.

They drew 1–1 in the group stage of Euro 1992, with Sweden on home soil.

Twenty years later, Zlatan Ibrahimovic produced a stunning acrobatic volley in a 2-0 win during Euro 2012.

More recently, the sides faced each other in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, each winning 2-1 in their home fixtures.

Image source, Getty Images

After conceding seven goals in the World Cup group stage, Graham Potter has a huge decision on who is best to keep out a French team who have scored for fun at this tournament.

Kristoffer Nordfeldt didn’t have much to do in the 5-1 win over Tunisia, making one save from two shots on target, the most notable being a catch to deny a cheeky chip from Hannibal Mejbri.

He also made an impressive close range save from an offside shot by Slimane.

But in the 5-1 defeat to the Netherlands, the AIK keeper ended up picking the ball out of his net more times than he made saves - two stops from seven shots on target.

Potter then turned to Derby County’s Jacob Widell Zetterström for the final group‑stage match against Japan.

Two moments stood out for the Championship keeper on his World Cup debut, a sharp tip around the post from Keito Nakamura’s effort, and a quick reaction stop from Daichi Kamada, even if the latter came from an offside play.

So Chris Sutton does not expect Sweden to pose too much of an obstacle to France and "can't see anyone stopping" them from winning a third world title.

Chris Sutton
Former England forward

Image source, Getty Images

Sweden sat in against Japan to get the result they needed to get out of their group and I am sure they will stay deep again here to try to stay in the game.

It won't work, though. At this moment in time, I can't see anyone stopping France with their firepower.

Sutton's prediction: 4-0

AI's prediction: 2-0