Pharaohs out to continue dominance over Elephants

Record winners, Egypt, will square off with current holders, Ivory Coast, in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarterfinal match at the Adrar Stadium, Agadir, on Friday. Kick-off is at 9pm CAT, live on SuperSport.

CURRENT FORM

The Pharaohs progressed to the last eight after thrashing Benin 3-1 after extra-time in a Round of 16 match on 5 January, extending their unbeaten run to 18 matches across all competitions under coach Hossam Hassan.

The victory kept Egypt's dream of winning their first AFCON title since 2010, which would also extend their record as the most decorated national team in African football, having won seven continental trophies since the competition's inception in 1957.

Ivory Coast, on the other hand, were in a rampant mood in their Round of 16 clash against Burkina Faso as they claimed a 3-0 win on January 6, as the defending champions extended their unbeaten run to five matches across all competitions.

The emphatic win sent a stern warning to the Elephants' fellow quarterfinalists as they look to become the first nation to win back-to-back AFCON titles since Egypt did a three-peat - winning the 2006, 2008, and 2010 continental trophies.

The winner between Egypt and Ivory Coast will lock horns with either Senegal or Mali in the semifinals on 14 January at the Tangier Grand Stadium in Tangier, Morocco.

TEAM NEWS

Egypt left-back Mohamed Hamdy has ruled out for the remainder of the tournament and Mahmoud "Trezeguet" Hassan is being monitored by the Pharaohs' medical team after the duo picked up injuries during the Benin match.

Meanwhile, Odilon Kossounou sustained an injury during the game against Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast medical team will be sweating over the defender's fitness ahead of the crucial match.

There are no suspension worries for both Egypt and Ivory Coast, who will meet in a repeat of the 2006 AFCON final.

WHAT WAS SAID?

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan

"We will start preparations for the quarterfinals and we are ready to face any opponent,” Hassan said.

"There are no easy teams in Africa. Playing in Europe has improved the African players, making every game challenging. In football, you can’t rely on history - only performance matters."

Ivory Coast head coach Emerson Fae

“We haven’t yet thought about the match or the strategy for Saturday against Egypt. We take things step by step. We didn’t want to look ahead because we first had to qualify by beating Burkina Faso,” Fae said.

“Now that we’ve won, we’ll enjoy tonight and rest well over the next two days. On Friday we’ll prepare for Saturday’s match in the best possible way, look at the strengths and weaknesses of this Egyptian team and try to impose our rhythm."

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Egypt and Ivory Coast have met 22 times across all competitions since their maiden meeting in February 1970.

The Pharaohs have registered 12 victories compared to the Elephants' seven victories, while three games ended in a draw.

The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 0-0 draw and Egypt won 5-4 on penalties in the 2021 AFCON Round of 16 match played at the Japoma Stadium in January 2022.