The Round of 16 of the TotalEnergies CAF Côte d’Ivoire 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is up and running.
Egypt vs DR Congo is this Sunday at the Stade Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro at 20h00 GMT.
Returning to this level of the competition since 2019, DR Congo do not intend to stop. And, especially after the hurdles of the group stage, they are eager to prove a point.
Just like their opponents, the Leopards did not win a single match to reach the second round with three draws from three matches.
A concern for the Leopards will be their inability to convert, which is something they will look at fixing ahead of their clash with Egypt.
With coach Sébastien Desabre who has brought the Leopards back to life, they may still have some hope to cling on to. Cédric Bakambu and his teammates know what to expect.
Without the injured Mohamed Salah, the Pharaohs know they will have to give more of themselves.
Pre-match statements
Rui Vitoria – Egypt coach
“Coming here, we knew that we would only settle for the finals so it will be another final against the DRC. They are a good team and will be difficult to beat. We are ready but not 100% due to our numerous injuries. But we have to deal with it. We’ve had a bit of bad luck following us from the start but that’s football. We are ambitious. We are going to put our qualities into play. All the teams in this competition are equal”.
Sébastien Desabre – DR Congo coach
“Clearly, Egypt is the favourite in this match. We will be challengers and this position suits us too. The match will be difficult because we know the potential of Egypt. But we also know that we have a good margin for improvement. We know what we need to improve. Until then, we have shown interesting things but not necessarily validated by victories. My players are motivated. We are going to use the ball, and play our game. We want to show everyone that DR Congo is back.”
