Morocco, hailed as one of the favorites in the Africa Cup of Nations, braces for a crucial match against South Africa in the last-16 stage.
Ivory Coast secured a remarkable victory by defeating defending champions Senegal 5-4 on penalties in the Africa Cup of Nations, eliminating them from the tournament after the game concluded 1-1 during regulation time.
In a gripping 2023 Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 encounter at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Cape Verde clinched a narrow 1-0 victory against Mauritania on Monday night.
Walid Regragui, head coach of Morocco has insisted that his team isn’t the favourite against South Africa.
Morocco head coach Walid Regragui refused to comment on the Pharaohs’ defeat to Congo after being asked about Egypt's elimination from the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Seeking to improve upon their past two Africa Cup of Nations performances, Mali will take on Burkina Faso in a round of 16 encounter at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium on Tuesday.
D.R. Congo emerged victorious over Egypt in the Round of 16 of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d'Ivoire 2023, securing their spot in the quarter-finals after an 8-7 penalty shootout win.
In the fourth round of 16 match at the Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt is set to square off against Congo DR at Stade Laurent Pokou on Sunday evening.
The victor of this encounter will progress to the quarter-finals, where they await the winner of the Equatorial Guinea versus Guinea match earlier in the day in Abidjan.
Match Preview
Despite being seven-time champions, Egypt's journey to the last 16 has been unconventional, drawing all three group stage matches 2-2. Rui Vitoria's side exhibited varied performances, including a resilient comeback against Ghana.
Facing Congo DR, a team they have historically dominated in AFCON encounters, The Pharaohs seek a more straightforward result. However, with a tendency for knockout ties to go to penalties, Egypt anticipates a challenging match.
Congo DR shares a similar path to the last 16, drawing all group stage fixtures. Sebastien Desabre's side enters this clash with a record of no wins in their last six matches.
The Leopards, having advanced from the group stage in their last four AFCON appearances, aim to overcome Egypt and progress further. While their goal tally was modest in the group stage, they remain a formidable opponent.
Team News
Egypt will be without Mohamed Salah, their star player, due to injury sustained against Ghana. Mostafa Mohamed is expected to lead the attack. Additionally, goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawy and midfielder Emam Ashour are unavailable. Congo DR's defender Henock Inonga may be a doubt due to a head injury.
Yoane Wissa, who scored their opening goal in the competition, and Cedric Bakambu will play crucial roles.
Possible Starting Lineups
Egypt:
Gabal; Hany, Hegazy, Abdelmonem, Fotouh; Fathi, Attia, Elneny; Zizo, Mohamed, Marmoush
Congo DR:
Mpasi; Kalulu, Mbemba, Batubinsika, Masuaku; Pickel, Moutoussamy; Silas, Kakuta, Bakambu; Wissa
The clash promises an intense battle as both teams aim to secure a spot in the quarter-finals, setting the stage for an exciting encounter at Stade Laurent Pokou.
Cape Verde aims to replicate their best Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) performance when they encounter Mauritania in the round of 16 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium on Monday.
The Blue Sharks topped Group B, while the Lions of Chinguetti secured a historic spot in the knockout stage by defeating 2019 champions Algeria.
*Match Preview*
Cape Verde's versatility in securing results has been a standout feature at AFCON 2023. Their late victories, strategic finishing, and resilient play, as seen against Ghana and Egypt, highlight their capacity to perform until the final whistle.
Coach Bubista's team, never having advanced beyond the quarter-finals, seeks to match their 2013 achievement with a win over Mauritania.
Mauritania, in their first-ever knockout game at AFCON, showcased their prowess by defeating Algeria. Coach Amir Abdou, known for elevating underdog teams, aims to continue overcoming challenges.
The Lions of Chinguetti displayed both defensive compactness and attacking flair in previous matches, making them a formidable force.
Team News
Cape Verde's Garry Rodrigues and Bryan Teixeira delivered crucial late goals, showcasing Coach Bubista's effective in-game changes. Bebe's availability remains uncertain after an injury, while Mauritania's Aboubakary Koita, known for his ball-striking, could play a vital role.
Mauritania's Ibrahima Keita and Omare Gassama demonstrated defensive prowess, highlighting their controlled aggression.
Match-winner Mohamed Dellahi Yali is uncertain due to injury. The potential lineups include Vozinha, Moreira, Costa, Lopes, Paulo, Duarte, Pina, Monteiro, Mendes, Tavares, Cabral for Cape Verde, and Niasse, Keita, El Abd, Ba, Abeid, Gassama, Bouna, Thiam, Mouhsine, Koita, Anne for Mauritania.
The clash promises a gripping encounter, with both teams eager to secure a spot in the quarter-finals. The match will unveil which side can capitalize on its strengths and overcome the challenges posed by the opponent.
The blockbuster showdown on Monday in the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 will see Senegal resume their title defence when they take on Ivory Coast at Charles Konan Banny Stadium.
The winner of this clash between Africa's football heavyweights will move on to the quarter-final, where they will face either Mali or Burkina Faso, who square off on Tuesday evening in Korhogo.
It is just over a year since Senegal beat the Ivory Coast 1-0 at the CAF African Nations Championship, and they will be looking for a similar performance this time to take them just three wins away from defending their AFCON title.
While surprise packages Equatorial Guinea and Cape Verde claimed most of the headlines in the group stages, The Lions of Teranga were superb over their first three matches and emerged as the only team in the competition to win all three group stage matches.
They kicked off their AFCON campaign with a solid 3-0 win in match one against Gambia before outclassing Cameroon 3-1 in the second game and capped off an excellent round-robin performance with a 2-0 victory over Guinea.
With just one goal conceded in the group stages, The Lions of Teranga have the joint-best defensive record in the competition, and that was also the only goal they conceded in their last seven matches in all competitions.
Aliou Cisse's side will now be looking to make it four wins in a row in this competition, which is a record that was last achieved by Algeria in the 2019 edition when they went on to lift the trophy.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast's AFCON has got progressively worse and are only still alive in the competition due to Ghana's terrible form, which allowed them to clinch the final third-placed team qualification spot.
The Elephants made a bright start to the tournament, as they claimed a 2-0 opening round win over Guinea-Bissau, but they were unable to build on that performance and were beaten in match two by Nigeria.
However, a shocking 4-0 loss in their final group stage match followed and led to the Ivory Coast Football Federation opting to sack Jean-Louis Gasset as manager before the final qualification places were even confirmed.
Nevertheless, they managed to qualify for the round of 16 as the fourth-best third-placed team, and interim coach Emerse Fae has been handed the task of keeping The Elephants AFCON title hopes alive.
While all indicators suggest that the hosts may struggle to beat the Teranga Lions, history is in the Ivory Coast's favour as they have played Senegal twice in this competition and won on both occasions (1965 and 1986).
Nigeria nipped on Ademola Lookman's double to beat Cameroon by 2-0 at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny to advance in the last eight of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Angola have advanced to the quarter final for the first time since 2010 after humbling Namibia by 3-0 at the Stade de la Paix in the first round of 16 game of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
