France v Ivory Coast, Montpellier, tomorrow. Kick-off: 8.00 Thierry Henry is convinced that France's chances of winning in Dublin next month have significantly increased following the decisions of Zinedine Zidane, Claude Makelele and Lilian Thuram to come out of international retirement.

The returning trio will line up for Les Bleus in tomorrow's friendly against the Ivory Coast following a one-year absence, and Henry, who was speaking from the squad's training base in Montpellier, believes they have given the team a timely lift.

"I was surprised to hear the news, but it was a pleasant surprise," he said. "The day the announcement was made I was on a high, though it was so unexpected I still needed to check the newspapers the next day to make sure it was true."

France have struggled terribly since Euro 2004, with Raymond Domenech's new-look team often appearing devoid of confidence and lacking in leadership. Currently three points behind Brian Kerr's men in Group Four, they have four World Cup qualifiers remaining, including the crunch clash in Dublin on September 7th.

According to Henry, the presence of Zidane and co on the Lansdowne Road pitch could prove decisive. "The group is so tight that one win against one of the big four teams is likely to swing the qualification," he explained. "With players like Zidane, Makelele and Thuram, we have a better chance of getting that win. It's obvious. They've got great experience and just seeing them on the pitch will be reassuring. They are guys who thrive in big games and right now that's what we need."

Henry made headlines in France at the end of last season by announcing on the nation's most watched football programme Telefoot that he was "worried" by the team's predicament.

Three months on and, though France have not kicked a ball, the 27-year-old has changed his mind.

"Yes, I was worried, but that was before Ireland drew with Israel. I was watching the game on television and when Ireland went two up, I thought it was over. But they ended up drawing and that has given us a boost. If they had won that we'd have been obliged to go to Dublin and win. Now the Ireland game is nicely set up."

While the nation's attention on Wednesday will be focused on the performances of Makelele, Thuram and, in particular, Zidane, Henry will also be under the microscope. Hailed as France's new saviour after Zidane's retirement, the former Monaco forward struggled to live up to the billing, scoring just one goal in seven appearances and receiving his share of criticism.

Now the old saviour is back, will we be seeing a liberated Henry against the Ivory Coast? "No, not at all. For me the pressure stays the same," he said firmly. "People expect me to score and create goals whether Zidane is playing or not, but that's normal because I play in attack."

Against the Ivory Coast he will be partnered by David Trezeguet so long as the Juventus striker is passed fit, while Zidane is set to play a roaming role just behind.

It is a front three that would strike fear into any defence in the world, yet question marks remain as to its effectiveness after they misfired together at Euro 2004. Indeed Zidane, one of the most creative players in the history of the game, has not set up a single one of Henry's 28 France goals - an astonishing statistic given that the pair have been playing in the same team for almost eight years.

"It's a nice statistic for the journalists but it's not something that interests me," Henry shrugged. "We won the World Cup and the European Championship playing together, so our understanding can't be so bad."

Nonetheless, it is hard to imagine that Henry is not secretly hoping that another experienced player, Robert Pires, will return soon. Still out of favour with Domenech, the Arsenal winger is the one man who seems to read Henry's unpredictable movements.

As it is, Henry made the trip from North London alone.

"It's amazing to think I'm the only Arsenal player in the squad now," Henry said. "I had a joke with Pat (Vieira) about it this afternoon, but it's true that it feels strange. I'm used to there being a whole group of us."

One familiar face will be Kolo Toure, the Gunners defender who is likely to be charged with the task of marking his club captain.

"I know I'm in for a tough night against Kolo," said Henry. "But they've good players all over the pitch. There are a lot of guys in their team who play in France and they'll be especially motivated. It's going to be a good test and we need that before our next qualifiers."