Ivory Coast Set to Face DR Congo in Africa Cup of Nations Semifinal

Hosts Ivory Coast are set to face DR Congo in the semifinal of the Africa Cup of Nations at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan. The match will take place on Wednesday, February 6, 2024, at 20:00 GMT.

Ivory Coast has been enjoying a remarkable revival in the tournament after a shaky start, including a 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea in the group stage. They have managed to reach the final four stages with the support of their passionate home crowds.

The Ivorians will be returning to the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium, where they had previously delivered underwhelming performances during the group stage. However, after their comeback victory against Senegal and a win over Mali in the knockout rounds, they appear to have found a renewed confidence.

On the other hand, DR Congo, who drew four consecutive matches before defeating Guinea 3-1 in the quarterfinals, had set their sights on advancing from the group stage as their primary goal for the tournament. Anything they achieve now will be considered a bonus.

This semifinal clash between Ivory Coast and DR Congo will be a repeat of the 2015 AFCON final, which Ivory Coast won 3-1 with goals from Gervinho, Wilfried Kanon, and Yaya Toure. In their previous encounters, Ivory Coast has emerged victorious six times compared to DR Congo’s four, with five matches resulting in draws.

However, Ivory Coast will be missing two key players, Oumar Diakite and Odilon Kossounou, who are suspended for the match due to their sending off against Mali. Willy Boly is expected to take Kossounou’s place in defense, and striker Sebastien Haller could make his first start after recovering from an ankle injury.

DR Congo, on the other hand, has no new injury concerns going into the match, with Yoane Wissa recovering from a slight problem he faced in the last game.