Mali coach Eric Chelle and interim Ivory Coast mentor Emerse Fae are refusing to get sucked into the hype ahead of the two nation’s quarterfinal clash at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday the 2nd of February, with the game set to take place at Stade Bouake.
Kick-off is at 19h00 (CAT)
CURRENT FORM
Mali sealed their place in the quarterfinals of the showpiece courtesy of a 2-1 win over Burkina Faso on Tuesday 30 January. An own goal by Edmond Tapsoba, followed by Lassine Sinayoko’s effort in the 47th were enough for Les Aigles to qualify for the last eight in Ivory Coast. As for the host nation, the Elephants marched to the quarterfinals following their 5-4 penalty win over Senegal earlier this week, which was in effect one of the shock results of the tournament so far.
TEAM NEWS
According to reports, Mali star Amadou Haidara is a doubt for Saturday’s clash, while Sebastien Haller and Simon Adingra could be in contention for Ivory Coast this weekend after making their way back from their respective injuries.
WHAT WAS SAID…
“We need to be humble in our victory and continue with hard work,” Mali coach Eric Chelle said.
“I am very happy for the players. They deserve the victory because they are a group of hard workers. We know that it will be difficult against them, but we will bring our quality and give it our best against them. I want to emphasize the importance of humility in this victory
"We're definitely not going to get excited. We are going to savour the win and get back to work,” Ivory Coast caretaker coach Emerse Fae said.
"We have come so far. We are going to continue to work on our solidity.
"We need to keep this state of mind which will give us the strength to perhaps go for the title."
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Mali: Lassine Sinayoko – After getting his name on the scoresheet against Burkina Faso, the Mali striker will be keen on adding to his goal tally at the tournament. With an injection of confidence, the Elephants will have to be on high alert in defence throughout the 90 minutes.
Ivory Coast: Serge Aurier -While Ivory Coast boast a number of experienced campaigners in their camp, Aurier is the leader of the pack. Mali are known to be swift in transition scenarios, which will no doubt call for Aurier to marshal his backline during those moments.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Ivory Coast hold a slight advantage over Mali in the last five meetings in all competitions, boasting two victories, compared to just one win for Mali. Les Aigles and the Elephants have drawn two stalemates during this period.