On Friday evening, the contest will take place at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpé as DR Congo in search of their first Cup of Nations win over Guinea for a place in the semi-finals.
This will be the fourth meeting between the two nations at the AFCON. DR Congo has never beaten Guinea in three previous group stage meetings, including a 2-1 loss in their last meeting in 2004.
DR Congo has reached the quarter-finals without winning a single game in normal time. However, defender Gédéon Kalulu believes that psychological victories can help them progress. “Certainly, we can note two victories on the psychological front. The first is having beaten a top 5 side on penalties, and the second is not conceding many goals,” said Kalulu.
Guinea is expected to have key players Naby Keita and Serhou Guirassy back from injury, which will boost the team’s morale. “Naby and Serhou are getting better and better. They are two very important assets for our team. Their entries in previous matches were crucial for us,” noted Guinea midfielder Amadou Diawara.
With a chance to make it to the AFCON semi-finals for the first time since 2015, Guinea striker Sory Kaba stressed the need for efficiency. “Against a compact Congolese team, we will have to be rigorous and efficient. The team that makes the least mistakes will go through,” Kaba stated.
The winner of this game face either Mali or Ivory Coast in the semifinal next week.
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