The battle for slots in the quarterfinals of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations continues today with two round of sixteen matches set to take centre stage.The tournament has been thrilling and football enthusiasts look forward to today’s matches with anticipation for nothing but entertainment.‘Final before final’ matches have been played with giants including the defending champions Senegal kissing the tournament goodbye.Opening the proceedings today will be a clash between Mali who will be up against their neighbours Burkina Faso at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo.##NAJAVA_MECA_7828112##Separated by a mere 650km distance, the meeting between the two neighbours promises to produce fireworks, with both sides yearning for continental glory having both fallen short on two separate occasions.Having come agonisingly close to lifting the title in 2013, the Stallions, who finished second behind Angola in Group D will be looking at going all their way despite them having a jittery start to the tournament.Their journey to the round of 16 was not the easiest after having to sweat for a victory over Mauritania whom they edged 1-0 in their opener before a 2-2 stand-off between them an Algeria in their second fixture.Their final group match saw them outclassed by Angola in a 2-0 defeat which was fortunately not too detrimental for their campaign as their 4 points where enough to see them advance.Ivory Coast jewel is heavily scouted at AFCON by ArsenalMali on the other hand lived up to the high expectations placed on them in Group E after a strong opening against South Africa.The Eagles soared over Bafana Bafana by 2-0 in their opening clash but seemed to have let the foot of the pedal in their last two group matches after playing out to a 1-1 draw with Tunisia before the Brave Warriors of Namibia held them to a goalless draw.Both Burkina Faso and Mali who have lost an AFCON final are making their 13th appearance in the tournament.In their previous 12 appearances (Burkina Faso), they have either been eliminated in the group stages (8 times) or at least reached the semi-finals (4 times) including the final defeat in 2013 (0 – 1 Nigeria).AFCON 2023: Franck Kessie send the champions home, the Elephants made it!This is Mali’s 13th appearance and 9th in a row. No side has ever played as many games as Mali (54) at the AFCON without ever winning the trophy. Their best performance dates back to 1972 when they lost 3-2 in the final against Congo.The game is scheduled for 8pm kick-offAfterwards, South Africa will clash with the 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinalists Morocco at the Stade Laurent Pokou in San Pedro. In Group E, South Africa finished second although they got off to a shaky start against Mali, the Bafana Bafana bounced back with a resounding 4-0 win over Namibia before drawing with Tunisia, which led to the latter’s elimination. Congolese federation to pursue appeal at CAS over Moroccan coach’s suspensionMorocco are one of the teams nobody wants to face. Ever since their dazzling run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, the Atlas Lions have been tough for everyone they have crossed path with. Their ambition has been clear from the onset; to go as far as possible in the tournament and win the trophy. So far, everything is going according to plan for the Atlas Lions though the 1-1 draw with DR Congo left a few doubts. The final match against Zambia in the group phase which they won 1-0 was a clear indication of the team’s ambition.Coach Walid Regragui says the team can’t afford to underrate anyone since the tournament has entered the most crucial stage where defeat means elimination.”It’s a knockout match. It’s a change of competition. We can’t afford to make any mistakes. We’ve done well so far, but we want to do better. We have a lot of respect for South Africa. They were the last team to beat us on the continent. We’re not in a favourable position, which is why I’m insisting on my group’s humility,” he told CAF Online##NAJAVA_MECA_7837823##The award-winning tactician however regretted the absence of Sofiane Boufal who is injured. He also revealed that Hakim Ziyech is a doubt for the game.“Boufal is out and his AFCON Côte d’Ivoire 2023 is over. He has a muscular problem and, barring a surprise, we won’t be seeing him again. Ziyech is also suffering from his ankle. The medical staff and I are doing everything we can to get him back on the pitch. If we have to take a risk with him, we’ll take it,” he revealed.His South African counterpart Hugo Broos isn’t afraid of facing the top-ranked nation in he continent at the moment.“This AFCON Côte d’ivoire 2023 is full of surprises, as we’ve seen from the start. We already beat Morocco a year ago and we can do it again. Anything is possible and we want to create another surprise in this competition. We’re confident, we believe in ourselves and in what we can do. I think we’ll have to go into this match with the same frame of mind we’ve had recently, but I want us to be at a very high level,” he said.Tuesday Fixtures20:00: (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***Additional Reporting by CAF Online.
