Northern Ireland are in Lille to face a France side playing their final warm-up game before heading to a World Cup where they are among the favourites to lift the trophy.

Here the Press Association looks at the key topics ahead of tonight’s friendly:

A very different atmosphere

placeholder image — Northern Ireland captain Trai Hume and manager Michael O’Neill during Sunday's press conference at the Stade Pierre Mauroy ahead of facing France in Lille. (Photo by William Cherry/PressEye

On Thursday, Northern Ireland played Guinea in the shadow of the rock of Gibraltar.

Their 1-0 win felt like a very low-key affair, with just a couple of hundred travelling fans having made the trip to southern Spain, where they baked in the early evening sunshine.

Contrast that to the atmosphere that awaits Michael O’Neill’s side in northern France tonight, where the Stade Pierre Mauroy is a 50,000 sellout as French fans aim to give their star-studded side a big send-off.

It is hard to think of two more contrasting settings for games that come in the space of a few days.

All change

O’Neill kept several players in reserve on Thursday night, with the likes of Trai Hume, Ali McCann, and Ethan Galbraith all coming off the bench as he gave younger players their chance in Spain.

But coming up against one of the best sides on the planet, O’Neill will surely go as strong as he can in Lille. Galbraith’s involvement as an 81st-minute substitute was his first appearance in any match since he limped out of the 1-1 friendly draw with Wales in late March, and O’Neill must assess what role the 25-year-old can play in Lille.

Can the kids play a role?

Thursday saw Liverpool’s 19-year-old winger Kieran Morrison make his debut from the start while 18-year-old Arsenal prospect Ceadach O’Neill came off the bench.

Everton teenager Braiden Graham did not make it off the bench, however, with the manager’s plans for late changes upended by Tom Atcheson’s 72nd-minute red card.

Given the very different test from the French that awaits, how much room is there for the inexperienced youngsters to play a role in Lille?

Atcheson travels

It was an evening of huge contrasts for Atcheson on Thursday. On the one hand he made his first Northern Ireland start a little over two months after making his debut as a late substitute in Cardiff and marked it with a ninth-minute goal that proved to be the match winner.

But it all came to a premature end with the red card, meaning the Blackburn teenager is suspended for Monday’s match.

But rather than head home to start his holidays early, Atcheson has stayed with the group and travelled to France to soak up everything he can from this camp.

French response

France may be the top-ranked nation in the world and among the favourites for glory this summer but their last warm-up game did not go at all to plan as Amad Diallo’s 84th-minute strike gave Ivory Coast a 2-1 come-from-behind win in Nantes.

Didier Deschamps and his players know anything less than a convincing win will set alarm bells ringing before their trip across the Atlantic.