The African side face North Korea in their final Group G game in Nelspruit needing an unlikely scenario to unfold to progress.

The Ivorians not only need to win and hope Brazil beat Portugal at the same time, but they need to see a nine-goal swing in the process.

Former England boss Eriksson said: "It is a strange situation in the group.

"I think we have played good football but we are in a situation which is extremely difficult.

"You can't really go and tell your players to go and score eight or nine goals because that is not realistic.

"We are going to try to do our best but that amount of goals is very unlikely.

"Of course we will look at the result of Brazil and Portugal to see what is happening there and we are going to try as good as we can.

"If we have to leave this World Cup tomorrow we want to leave with our heads high."

Ivory Coast claimed a battling 0-0 draw with Portugal in their first game but were then undone 3-1 by Brazil in a fractious affair last Sunday.

What all but killed their prospects, however, was Portugal's dramatic 7-0 thrashing of North Korea on Monday.

Eriksson said: "After 45 minutes of the North Korea-Portugal game you couldn't dream that it would end up 7-0, especially having seen North Korea against Brazil.

"They've played three halves when they have been competitive.

"Before that game we thought we had a chance but that unlikely result makes it extremely difficult.

"But whatever happens tomorrow, Ivory Coast have a great future as a football team. I am really impressed with all the players we have."

Eriksson was only appointed in March after leaving his previous role as director of football at Notts County.

He admits he would ideally have liked more time to prepare the side but his short-term contract ends after the World Cup and he does not know what his next move will be.

The Swede said: "I would have liked to have had a couple of years to know the players better, but that is the situation.

"I haven't thought about my future and I haven't spoken to anyone because I don't want to do that during the World Cup.

"As usual there are rumours and agents phoning, but we will see.

"First of all I want to see what happens tomorrow - but I want to stay in football, for sure."

Eriksson's work at Notts County actually brought him into contact with North Korean football, but rumours he was being lined up as their national boss proved wide of the mark.

Commenting on that bizarre episode, Eriksson said: "That is a long story...well, actually, it is very easy.

"The so-called owners at Notts County had business with North Korea.

"I was invited to North Korea to speak football with the manager they have now.

"It was never that I should go there to work for them - that was not even the discussion.

"I was there for football reasons while the others did business, I suppose.

"I did it because the employers I had wanted me to be there. It is strange that tomorrow they are now opponents.

"What I learnt there was very interesting, they are extremely keen on football."

Eriksson intends to shake his team up after their disappointing result against Brazil.

He said: "We are going to make some changes - not a revolution, there is no need for that - but I want to give a chance to a couple of others from the beginning."

Star striker Didier Drogba, who broke his arm before the tournament but has featured in both games, is not 100% but is "getting better and better" and will start.