AFCON 2023: Guinea v DR Congo, a semi-final place at stake
AFCON 2023: can Guinea pull off a shock against DR Congo? The two sides meet on Thursday 2 February at 17:00 GMT.
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Will DR Congo reach the semi-finals of an Africa Cup of Nations again? The Leopards take on Guinea in the quarter-finals of the AFCON 2023, on Friday 2 February at 20:00 GMT. It will be the fourth meeting between the two teams in the competition, but the first three all came in the group stage. This time, a place in the semi-finals is at stake.
Guinea, a side growing in strength, intend to seize their chance. With a young and talented squad, the Syli National have no fear of Chancel Mbemba's team-mates. They can also count on their senior players. "Naby (Keita) and Serhou (Guirassy) are getting better and better. They are two very important assets for our team. Their introductions in the previous matches were vital for us", said Amadou Diawara, the Syli National's defensive midfielder.
Read also: AFCON 2023 - Sébastien Desabre: "The lads are on a mission"
In the round of 16, Mohamed Bayo scored his second goal of this tournament, sending his country into the quarter-finals in the closing minutes. On Thursday, the striker could write himself further into the national team's history by becoming the first Guinean to score 3 goals at a single AFCON since Pascal Feindouno in 2006 (4). Guinea's forwards will need to be very clinical to beat DR Congo. Despite their attacking firepower, Guinea have in fact been less ruthless in front of goal. The same goes for the Leopards, who have scored only four goals since the start of AFCON 2023.
It is a problem that head coach Sébastien Desabre intends to fix against Kaba Diawara's men. "Guinea are a very well-organised team in their system of play. Tomorrow we will play an attacking game, with the aim of scoring one more goal than the opposition", the French coach told a press conference. Unlike Guinea, who qualified in regular time, the Leopards needed extra time and a penalty shootout to get past Egypt. But there are no concerns over the Leopards' physical condition, Desabre insists. "We won't have any particular problem tomorrow, no more than our opponents in any case, we have recovered well". Kick-off is therefore at 20:00 GMT at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Ebimpé.