Aurier: Ivory Coast ready for action

Serge Aurier has told RMC the Ivory Coast squad are "calm" as they prepare to open their World Cup campaign against Japan on Sunday.

Toulouse full-back Aurier, 21, is already being chased by Arsenal and Liverpool, and will get a chance to impress suitors still further afield when he lines up for the Elephants in their opening Group C game.

Though they have never progressed beyond the group stage in their two previous participations, the West African nation are hotly tipped to enjoy a long run in Brazil. Aurier acknowledged that confidence was reflected in the squad's mood.

"Honestly, we're calm," he said. "We have prepared really well, we have worked really hard, and everyone is impatient for the competition to start."

Central to the team's hopes in South America will be Yaya Toure.

The Manchester City midfielder, 31, has been undergoing intensive treatment on a thigh injury in a bid to get him fit for the game, and there is cause for optimism.

"He has come back to training gently. Everything is going well, he's 100 percent," Aurier said. "He has had a little bit of a special training programme. It's important that he be with us at the start of the competition."