DR Congo set to face Guinea in explosive TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final clash

The quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations are set to witness an explosive encounter between DR Congo and Guinea. This will be the fourth time these two teams face each other in the tournament, with their previous encounters occurring in the group stages. The matches have been evenly contested, with each team securing one victory and one draw. In their last meeting in the 2004 group stage, Guinea staged a comeback to win 2-1 thanks to goals from Titi Camara and Pascal Feindouno.

DR Congo is looking to secure a spot in the semi-finals of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 2015. Their last quarter-final appearance was in 2017, where they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Ghana. The Leopards have displayed a strong performance in recent knockout games, with three out of their last four games being determined by penalties. They have emerged victorious in two penalty shootouts, against Egypt and Equatorial Guinea, while losing one to Madagascar.

Guinea, on the other hand, has shown significant improvement in this year’s tournament. They have managed to secure two wins out of their four matches, a feat that equals their total number of victories in the previous 13 games of the competition. Their strong performance has raised hopes of potentially winning three matches at a single CAF Africa Cup of Nations for the third time in their history.

In terms of defensive solidity, DR Congo and Morocco have conceded the fewest shots at the tournament, with DR Congo facing just 28 shots. Guinea, however, has faced the fewest shots on target, only four in total. Mohamed Bayo has been a key player for Guinea, having scored two of their three goals in the tournament. If he manages to find the back of the net in this quarter-final clash, he will become the first Guinea player since Pascal Feindouno in 2006 to score three goals in a single edition of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations.

DR Congo has been heavily reliant on the contributions of Meschack Elia in attack. He has directly contributed to three of the team’s last four goals, scoring one and providing two assists. Another player to watch out for in the DR Congo lineup is Arthur Masuaku, who has been instrumental in their attacking play. Masuaku has played an impressive 45 passes into the opponents’ box in the tournament, surpassing any other DR Congo player in a single edition since 2010.