With somewhat unfortunate timing, Saturday evening’s Women’s World Cup draw in Paris is set to take place against a backdrop of the French capital’s “day of rage”.

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It is safe to assume that a city prepared for anti-government protests and “significant violence” was not exactly what the organisers had in mind when they planned an event to be conducted at La Seine Musicale, a concert venue on an island in the River Seine.

While armoured vehicles patrol streets filled with shuttered shops and closed Métro stations, Fifa officials can only hope the draw proceeds with military efficiency. As England’s manager, Phil Neville, and his Scotland counterpart, Shelley Kerr, wait to discover the identity of their opponents at France 2019, Jordan Nobbs must come to terms with once again missing out on a chance to make her mark on the world stage.

The Arsenal and England midfielder, a key figure for club and country, had a successful operation to repair a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee on Monday but the surgeon has told her she has no chance of recovering in time for the tournament. “We will be supporting Jordan every step of the way through her rehabilitation,” Neville said. “She is an invaluable member of the Lionessess squad.”

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Confirmation of her absence not only represents a significant blow to England but dreadful luck on Nobbs’s part. Although she travelled to the last World Cup in Canada, Nobbs was struck by hamstring trouble and reduced to a spectator as Neville’s predecessor, Mark Sampson, led the Lionesses to third place.

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That bronze medal partly explains why England – fourth in the world in the Fifa rankings – are among the favourites to win a 24-team tournament kicking off on 7 June and culminating in a final in Lyon exactly one month later. The seeding structure dictates they will be kept apart from USA, the defending champions France, Germany, Canada and Australia during the initial stages. Even so Neville’s side could potentially find themselves sharing a group with Scotland, ranked 20th and competing in their first World Cup.

England will hope to avoid being drawn alongside the Netherlands, the 2017 European champions, or Japan, losing finalists in 2015 and a team Neville is particularly wary of, for group games that will see teams and their supporters criss-crossing the length and breadth of the country.