Africa Cup of Nations is fast taking shape with men being separated from boys and at the same time, the giants are bidding Africa’s premier competition adios. Nigeria, Angola, DR Congo, and Guinea have already set up epic rounds of 16 matchups, but what does Monday have in store for us? Will Ivory Coast redeem themselves against favorites and defending champions Senegal or Mauritania will send Cape Verde parking?Cape Verde vs MauritaniaCape Verde seeks to match their best Africa Cup of Nations showing when they face Mauritania in a round of 16 clash at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium at 8.00 PM EAT.The Blue Sharks surprisingly topped Group B despite the presence of multiple-time winners Egypt and Ghana, while the Lions of Chinguetti stunned 2019 champions Algeria to secure passage to this stage for the first time in the nation’s history.One of the fascinating observations about Cape Verde at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations has been the Blue Sharks’ tendency to pick results in different ways. Bubista’s men left it late to defeat Ghana 2-1 in a game they edged on chances and overall performance, outdid Mozambique due to superior finishing, and were reactive and responded impressively to nick a point off Egypt in their final group fixture.Scoring late against the Black Stars and the Pharaohs suggests the Blue Sharks never stop playing until the final whistle, standing them in good stead in knockout football. Having never made it past the quarter-final stage, Bubista’s side could match their 2013 performance with victory over the Mauritanian side as they seek their first victory in the competition’s knockout rounds.Speaking to CAF Online ahead of the match, Cape Verde coach Bubista heaped praise on his opponents, noting that they will have to play their cards well to nick a win: “Mauritania is a difficult opponent. This team showed cohesion and quality. Their victory against Algeria is well deserved. They have a solid defense. This is going to be a very tactical encounter and we will have to play our cards well and not falter in the last four.”As for Mauritania, the game is a historic event for the Lions of Chinguetti, who had never played a knockout game at the continental showpiece but booked their spot with a stunning 1-0 triumph over Algeria in their final group game.Amir Abdou is proving his worth on the continent as the go-to guy to have minnows punching above their weight, having taken lowly Comoros to the last 16 at the previous finals with an unforeseen victory over Ghana. The tactician’s adeptness at coaching a compact side gives them a fighting chance against any opponent, and they seek to keep surmounting challenges on their path to a quarter-final spot.Mauritania defender Lamine Ba had this to say ahead of the match: “We indeed got off to a bad start, but now a new competition is starting. We know that the Mauritanian authorities have put several things in place so that our supporters are present during this match, and we are counting heavily on them.” ##NAJAVA_MECA_7828085##Senegal vs Ivory Coast It’s all set. Defending champions, Senegal will come up against host, Côte d’Ivoire at the Charles Konan Bani Stadium, Yamoussoukro for the Round of 16 clash at 11.00 PM EAT.The winner of this clash between Africa’s football heavyweights will move on to the quarter-final, where they will face either Mali or Burkina Faso, who square off on Tuesday evening in Korhogo.It is just over a year since Senegal beat Ivory Coast 1-0 at the CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN), and they will be looking for a similar performance this time to take them just three wins away from defending their AFCON title.While surprise packages Equatorial Guinea and Cape Verde claimed most of the headlines in the group stages, The Lions of Teranga were superb over their first three matches and emerged as the only team in the competition to win all three group stage matches.The Lions of Teranga have the joint-best defensive record in the competition and have conceded only a goal in their last seven matches in all competitions. Aliou Cisse’s side will now be looking to make it four wins in a row in AFCON, which is a record that was last achieved by Algeria in the 2019 edition when they went on to lift the trophy.AFCON 2023: Last-minute header sends Guinea through to the quarterfinalsSenegal defender Moussa Niakhate said the team is focused on delivering victory to the people of Senegal. “We worked well this week. We must remain focused on the way we play in defense and attack. We will remain focused on ourselves in the match, and our goal remains to win.”Meanwhile, Ivory Coast’s AFCON has got progressively worse and are only still alive in the competition due to Ghana’s terrible form, which allowed them to clinch the final third-placed team qualification spot. The Elephants made a bright start to the tournament, as they claimed a 2-0 opening round win over Guinea-Bissau, but they were unable to build on that performance and were beaten in match two by Nigeria.While all indicators suggest that the hosts may struggle to beat the Teranga Lions, history is in the Ivory Coast’s favor as they have played Senegal twice in this competition and won on both occasions (1965 and 1986).Côte d’Ivoire coach Faye Emers said his players will enter the match with a lot of confidence ready to dispatch the reigning champions for a place in the last eight.“We prepared well for the Senegal match, and we will enter the match with confidence a lot of confidence. The players are motivated. I know the group well, and I have been with them for a year and a half. The players know what to expect from them in the Senegal match. We will enter the match with good confidence. “##NAJAVA_MECA_7828935##AFCON 2023: Egypt are out after another penalty shootout defeatDidier Drogba on Senegal 🇸🇳 vs Ivory Coast🇮🇪: “We still have a chance to revive ourselves. If the wind blows, seize it. Senegal has never won against Ivory Coast.” I repeat, Senegal has never won against Ivory Coast. Give everything you have on the field. We support you.” pic.twitter.com/DQsHAVXOZa— SPORTSworldGhana.com (@sportworldghana) January 28, 2024 AFCON 2023 – LAST 16SaturdayAngola – Namibia 3-0 (2-0)/Dala 38, 43 Mabululu 66/Nigeria – Cameroon 1-0 (0-0)/Lookman 36/SundayEquatorial Guinea – Guinea 0-1 (0-0)/Bayo 90+8/Egypt – Dr Congo 1-1 (1-1) penalties /Mohamed (p) 45+1 – Elia 37/Monday20:00: (2.00) Cape Verde (3.20) Mauritania (4.20)23:00: (2.35) Senegal (3.10) Ivory Coast (3.30)Tuesday20:00: (2.30) Mali (3.10) Burkina Faso (3.40)23:00: (1.62) Morocco (3.50) S.Africa (6.50)***odds are subject to change***
