Cote d'Ivoire will face off against DR Congo at Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday.

Both teams have met thrice in the Africa Cup of Nations finals, with each prevailing once while the other game ended in a draw. Their last encounter came in October 2019 in a friendly match won by Cote d’Ivoire 3-1. The hosts have been unpredictable since assistant Emerst Fae took over as head coach.


The Elephants will be without two key players who were sent off in their previous match against Mali. It’s unclear how the absence of Bayer Leverkusen center-back Odilon Kossounou and striker Oumar Diakité of Stade de Reims will affect the Ivorians. However, they look determined to go the extra mile.

DR Congo are one of the surprise packages of this edition. They were never billed to make it into the last four. However, they proved to be a force to be reckoned with in the tournament after their victory over Egypt in the round of 16. DR Congo are the only surviving Central African team in the competition.

Les Léopards are expecting a hostile crowd at the Ebimpe Stadium, where they got the better of Guinea 3-1 to reach this stage. Coach Sébastien Desabre says it would be a major hurdle but believes his team have enough maturity to “ignore the crowd and focus on their game.” DR Congo are unbeaten in their last five games.

Head-to-Head
DR Congo vs Guinea Quarter-final previews note that the DRC are on a four-game unbeaten streak vs Guinea, in all competitions. These sides last met in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, where DR Congo picked up 2-1 and 3-1 wins over Guinea. This is just the third-ever meeting in the Africa Cup of Nations and the first since 2004. Here, DRC are going for their first win in AFCON over Guinea.

DRC Successfully Avoiding Defeat
While DR Congo still don’t have a 90-minute win in this edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, they have successfully avoided defeat in all of their matches.

They’ve drawn all four of their matches so far and most impressively managed to hold tournament favorites Morocco to a 1-1 draw in the group stage. Silas picked an excellent time to score his first goal for DR Congo, as he found the net for a 76th minute equalizer
DRC also drew vs Zambia and Tanzania in the group stage to finish in second place in Group F. In the round of 16, DR Congo went up against Egypt, and Meschak Elia opened up the scoring for the Leopards.

DR Congo conceded a penalty late in the first half, which Egypt’s Mostafa Mohamed converted. After 120 grueling minutes, the match went into penalties, and DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi scored the winning kick in the shootout.

The African Cup odds currently price the Leopards at +2000 to win their third AFCON title. They do have a talented roster, and the DR Congo frontline is rather strong. Although they’ve only found the net three times in four games, Cedric Bakambu, Yoane Wissa, Elia, Simon Banza, and Silas are all capable of putting the ball in the back of the net.

Guinea Survive Round of 16
Guinea have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup and have not made an Africa Cup of Nations Semifinal since 1976. Despite losing twice to Egypt in Africa Cup of Nations qualification, Guinea finished second in Group D to advance to the final tournament.

Guinea finished 1-1-1 in the group stage and finished in third place in Group D. The “National Elephants” drew 1-1 vs Cameroon, defeated Gambia 1-0 and lost 2-0 to Senegal.

As one of the top four third-placed teams, Guinea advanced to the round of 16, where they took on Equatorial Guinea. Equatorial Guinea went down to ten men early in the second half but ended up winning a penalty. AFCON leading scorer Emilio Nsue hit the post, and Mohamed Bayo scored a stoppage-time winner for Guinea.

Bayo, who plays for Le Havre in Ligue 1, has scored two of Guinea’s three goals at AFCON. Guinea do also have prolific striker Serhou Guirassy, who has taken the Bundesliga by storm this season. However, he’s made just two appearances in four AFCON matches so far. Expect him to play a role on Friday.

Mali face off against Burkina Faso at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in the Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 on Tuesday (January 30).

The West African neighbours are meeting each other for the second time in the AFCON, following their clash in the 2004 edition. Mali and Burkina Faso have enjoyed local support more than any other teams in 2024, except hosts Cote D’Ivoire, where many of their fans live.


Les Aigles will look to extend their head-to head domination over Burkina Faso. Mali have seven wins over Burkina Faso, who have managed one draw in eight clashes. However, Burkina Faso look motivated and could upset their old foes.

Burkina Faso finished second in Group D with four points, behind leaders Angola, who had a near flawless run with seven points. Unlike Mali, who finished unbeaten in the group stage, Burkina Faso suffered a 2-0 setback against Angola in their last group game, where their defensive frailties were exposed.

Les Etalons are expected to fix those issues to avoid a similar fate. Mali are a pacy side, who proceed mostly through the flanks and could unsettle Burkina Faso’s static back. However, the team’s talisman Bertrand Troare, formerly of Chelsea, could come to their rescue.

An Africa Cup of Nations first will take place on Monday when Cape Verde and Mauritania meet in the last-16.

Neither of these sides has ever won a knockout game at AFCON, but both have put up some surprise results in Ivory Coast.

The Lions of Chinguetti pulled off their first-ever win at a Cup of Nations by downing Algeria to book their spot as a third-placed side after opening the competition with two defeats.

Cape Verde, meanwhile, stunned Ghana before downing Mozambique and earning a dramatic draw with Egypt to impressively top Group B.

The winner of this match will face either Morocco or South Africa in a mouthwatering quarter-final.

The match will take place at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan.

Two sides who have failed to win a game at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations meet in the last-16 on Sunday, when Egypt take on DR Congo.

A trio of 2-2 draws saw the Pharaohs edged Ghana and Mozambique in Group B, while their opponents here enjoyed a similar route to somehow finish second over Zambia and Tanzania.

Something must give, then, in this knockout tie as Egypt look to finally go one better having lost in the 2017 and 2021 AFCON finals.

They will have to do so without Mohamed Salah, who has returned to Liverpool injured and may only return if he races back to fitness for the latter stages.


DR Congo, twice Cup of Nations champions, have only won one knockout tie at the tournament since 1998.

The match will take place at Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro.

One of the surprise packages of the Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea, take on Guinea in the last-16 on Sunday.

Veteran captain Emilio Nsue led from the front as the National Thunder continued their fantastic record of reaching the knockouts in all four of their appearances at AFCON.

Having topped a group containing Nigeria and hosts Ivory Coast, they will be looking to push into the latter stages despite a tough tie against Egypt or DR Congo awaiting the victor in the quarter-finals.

Guinea are out to end their curse of losing all six knockout games they have played at the Cup of Nations, despite finishing second in 1976 - when the final round was a second group stage.

The match will take place at Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan.

Namibia will face Mali at the Laurent Pokou Stadium on Wednesday in the final round of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations group stages.

The Brave Warriors kicked off their Nations Cup campaign with a surprise 1-0 victory over Tunisia, with Deon Hotto heading home the game-winner two minutes from normal time. They were, however, thrashed 4-0 by South Africa in their second group game and could have no real complaints about the result after managing just one shot on target throughout the match.


Namibia sit third in their group with three points from an obtainable six and will advance to the knockout stages with a win on Wednesday while a draw could also suffice.

Mali, meanwhile, beat South Africa 2-0 at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in their group opener last week, with Hamari Traore and Lassine Sinayoko scoring a quickfire second-half double to clinch maximum points for the Eagles. They then played out a 1-1 draw against Tunisia last time out with Sinayoko scoring an early opener before their opponents drew level midway through the first half.

The Eagles sit atop the Group E standings with four points and only need a point on Wednesday to confirm a last-16 spot.

Angola will face Burkina Faso at the Stade de Yamoussoukro on Tuesday in the final round of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations group stages.

The Palancas Negras kicked off their Nations Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Algeria, heading into the break a goal down before Mabululu leveled the scores from the spot midway through the second half. They picked up their first win of the tournament on Saturday, beating Mauritania 3-2 at the Stade de la Paix, with former Sporting man Gelson Dala scoring a brace before Gilberto got in on the act in the second half.


Burkina Faso, meanwhile, picked up a narrow 1-0 victory over Mauritania in their group opener last week with Aston Villa man Bertrand Traore coming off the bench to win the game from the spot in additional time. They then played out a 2-2 draw against Algeria last time out and had looked set to be headed toward a narrow victory before their opponents leveled the scores at the death.

Angola and the Stallions sit first and second in the group standings respectively with four points from an obtainable six, with the winner of Tuesday's game set to finish as group winners.

Guinea will lock horns against reigning champions Senegal at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in their final group-stage match of the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 (AFCON) on Tuesday.

Guinea, who finished as the runners-up in 1976, have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the competition. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Cameroon in their campaign opener after Mohamed Bayo's early goal was canceled out by Frank Magri in the second half.


They bounced back with a win in their previous outing with Aguibou Camara scoring the only goal of the match, thanks to Morgan Guilavogui's assist in their 1-0 win over Gambia.

The reigning champions have got their title defense underway on a positive note recording wins in both their two group-stage games. They have booked their spot in the knockout round and can afford to take a breather in this match.

They defeated the Gambia 3-0 in their campaign opener and built on that form with a 3-1 win over Cameroon, thanks to goals from Ismaïla Sarr, Habib Diallo, and Sadio Mané.

Guinea need at least a point to seal their berth in the knockout stage but can also qualify for the next stage as one of the best-ranked third-placed teams from the group stage depending on other results.

Gambia will face Cameroon at the Stade de la Paix on Tuesday in the final round of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations group stages.

The Scorpions have endured a poor start to their Nations Cup campaign, kicking things off with a 3-0 defeat to one of the tournament favorites Senegal. They were then beaten 1-0 by Guinea last time out and could have no real complaints about the result after failing to register a single shot on target throughout the match.


Gambia sit rock-bottom in their group with zero points and must win match on Tuesday to retain any hopes of advancement.

Cameroon, meanwhile, played out a 1-1 draw against 10-man Guinea in their group opener last week, finding themselves a goal down after just 10 minutes before Frank Magri headed home the leveler early in the second half. They were then beaten 3-1 by a clinical Senegal outfit last time out, with Jean-Charles Castelletto's late goal proving to be just a consolation strike.

Rigobert Song's men sit a place and a point above their midweek opponents in the group standings and will be desperate for a win on Tuesday.

Mozambique will face Ghana at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara on Monday in the final round of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations group stages.

The Mambas kicked off their continental campaign with a 2-2 draw against Egypt at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny last Sunday. They were then beaten 3-0 by a clinical Cape Verde side in their last game, with a catalogue of errors at the back compounding matters for Chiquinho Conde's side.


Ghana, meanwhile, suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Cape Verde in their group opener and had looked set to be headed toward a draw before their opponents scored the winner in additional time. They then played out a 2-2 draw against Egypt in their second group game, with Mohamed Kudus' efforts in either half ultimately undone by individual errors from the Black Stars.

The Black Stars and Mozambique sit third and fourth respectively in the group table with just one point from an obtainable six. The winner of next week's clash will advance automatically to the last 16 of the tournament provided Egypt fail to beat group leaders Cape Verde elsewhere.

Cape Verde will face Egypt at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny on Monday in the final round of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations group stage.

The Blue Sharks have enjoyed a brilliant start to their Nations Cup campaign, picking up a 2-1 win over Ghana in their first group game. They then saw off Mozambique in game two with a 3-0 victory which saw Bebe and Krasnodar's Kevin Pina score stunners either side of a Ryan Mendes strike.


Cape Verde sit atop their group with six points from an obtainable six and are through to the last 16 of the Cup of Nations.

Egypt, on the other hand, have failed to impress in the tournament so far, playing out a 2-2 draw against Mozambique in their group opener last Sunday. They then played out the same scoreline against Ghana last time out and had howlers from the Black Stars to thank for picking up the sole point.

The Pharaohs sit second in their group with two points picked up so far and will advance to the knockout stages of the tournament with a win on Monday.

Equatorial Guinea lock horns against hosts Cote d'Ivoire at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in their final group-stage match of the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 (AFCON) on Monday.

Equatorial Guinea have enjoyed an unbeaten run in the competition thus far and, after playing out a 1-1 draw against Nigeria in their campaign opener, they registered a 4-2 win over Guinea-Bissau on Thursday. Former Mallorca winger Emilio Nsue bagged a hat-trick and Josete Miranda also registered himself on the scoresheet in the second half.


Cote d'Ivoire failed to build on their 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau in the campaign opener and lost 1-0 to Nigeria in a closely contested match in front of a sold-out crowd on Thursday.

This is a must-win match for the hosts as a draw would benefit Nzalang Nacional, who would finish in the top two in the Group A table. Having lost without failing to find the back of the net in their previous outing, the hosts are under great pressure to deliver an improved performance in this match.