The Ivory Coast, hosts of the 2023 Cup of Nations, will face off against in-form holders Senegal in an exciting last-sixteen duel at the Stade Charles Konan Banny de Yamoussoukro on Monday.
Morocco’s 1-0 triumph over Zambia in Group F on Wednesday ensured Ivory Coast finished as the fourth-best third-place team for the knockout stage.
Les Éléphants, who have won the tournament twice before, will be eagerly desperate to improve their performance in front of their home fans.
A great opportunity awaits the Ivory Coast national football team to showcase their fantastic players. However, they must now display more class after barely making it to the last sixteen.
In their final group game, Ivory Coast suffered a shocking 4-0 defeat by Equatorial Guinea, which led to the sacking of coach Jean-Louis Gasset and his assistant Ghislain Printant due to their unsatisfactory results in the tournament.
But despite being the underdogs, the host nation should not be ruled out easily in a knockout encounter.
The last time they played was in an international friendly in March 2017 which ended in a 1-1 draw at Stade Charlety in Paris.
Aliou Cissé’s side has progressed to this stage with maximum points by defeating Cameroon, the Gambia, and Guinea, making them the favourites on paper.
Morocco and South Africa will face each other in the Round of 16 of the CAF AFCON Côte d’Ivoire 2023. Morocco, who were semifinalists in the World Cup, are the favourites to win the tournament, but they must first defeat Bafana Bafana on January 30 at the Laurent Pokou Stadium.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will take on the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon on Saturday, January 27, at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan. Despite Cameroon’s shaky start, they will be confident of their chances against an unpredictable Nigerian side.
Nigeria is hoping to win the AFCON trophy after a decade, and Rigobert Song’s side is determined to make it their sixth AFCON title.
#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 @FIFCI_tweet Ivory Coast will face holders @FootballSenegal Senegal, three-time holders @NGSuperEagles Nigeria will play five-time holders @FecafootOfficie Cameroon, and @BafanaBafana will take on World Cup semifinalist @EnMaroc Morocco.#AFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/2hX1JFJ3cA
— #AFCON2023WithBittar (@bittar32) January 25, 2024
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