The CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 keeps chugging away with interesting matches and Saturday will be no different with three key games lined up in Group D and E.Algeria vs Burkina Faso After a bright start against Angola, the Desert Foxes in their first game of the tournament let their one-goal advantage slip, eventually drawing with Angola, while their opponents – Burkina Faso – needed a late Bertrand Traore penalty to seal a 1-0 win over Mauritania.Ahead of the game, two things – in the case that a winner will be found – are on the cards: Burkina Faso punch their ticket to the knockouts, or Algeria face the prospect of dropping out.##NAJAVA_MECA_7812052##It is why the game, in the eyes of Algeria head coach Djamel Belmadi, will be important.“We said at the beginning of the tournament that it is very important for us to have three points but we couldn’t,” Belmadi said. “This is our second match and our objective is to win. We will put in all our efforts in order to win the game.”AFCON 2023: Algeria coach picks lessons from Angola drawBurkina Faso, on the other hand, knows a place past the group stages is possible.“We can’t say this is the final of the group because we have seen the results of the other games, because we have other tough teams but this is a very important match for the two teams and we are ready,” Burkinabe coach Hubert Velud said. “Algeria is a tougher opponent and we will make sure we do everything and make sure we get the victory.”The two teams have met 18 times across all competitions thus far in official games.These games have been contested closely between the two teams, with the 2019 winners having a narrow 7-6 lead in wins and five games ending in draws – as did their last meeting in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.Game kicks off at 1700 EAT in Stade de la Paix, Bouake.Mauritania vs AngolaThe Lions of Chinguetti will be looking for their maiden win in their eighth attempt in the AFCON when they play Angola at Stade de la Paix, Bouake from 2000 EAT.Angola, despite picking a point against Algeria, are now up to seven games without a win in all competitions, reason why coach Pedro Gonçalves is quite reserved in the lead up to the game.#AFCON2023 Another one today Mauritania 🇲🇷 play Angola @soka25east pic.twitter.com/PCCfMPVYKI— Collins Okinyo (@bedjosessien) January 20, 2024 “High capacity game and we must embrace what comes with it against Mauritania,” he said. “We are focused on performing well in tomorrow’s game. I have followed the efforts of Mauritania in recent times and how they have performed but my focus is on my team and how they will perform.”Their most recent encounter in the Africa Cup of Nations came in January 2013, when they played out a goalless draw in Cameroon.
Tunisia vs MaliProbably the game of the day at 2300 EAT in Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo.Tunisia, after a shock defeat to Namibia, are looking to get back into contention in the group steered by Mali, who comfortably saw off South Africa.“We have disconnected from the outside world and just want to focus on the task at hand,” Tunisia head coach Jalel Kadri told CAF Online. “We know what is at stake and know that anything less than a victory spells our end in the competition. “We have identified our mistakes and are working hard to ensure that they do not happen again.”The two teams have met 14 times across all competitions thus far with Tunisia having the upper hand in these meetings with a 7-5 lead in wins, and just two games ending in draws.They last met in the CAF 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with the 2004 AFCON champions recording a 1-0 win on aggregate.“We have not qualified yet,” Mali German-based defensive midfielder Diadie Samassekou cautioned. “Yes, we are in a good position but there are two difficult matches that still need to be played to assure us a place in the next round. “There are no easy games and us winning the first game boosted our confidence but does not necessarily make the rest of the matches easy. We need to remain focused.”
AFCON 2023- GROUP STAGERound 2ThursdayEquatorial Guinea – Guinea Bissau 4-2 (1-1)/Nsue 21, 51, 61, Miranda 46 – Orosco 37, Ze Turbo 90+3/Ivory Coast – Nigeria 0-1 (0-0)/Troost-Ekong 54 pen/Egypt – Ghana 2-2 (0-1)/Marmoush 69, M. Mohamed 74 – Kudus 45+3, 71/FridayCape Verde – Mozambique 3-0 (1-0)/Bebe 32, Ryan Mendes 51, Kevin Pina 69/Senegal – Cameroon 3-1 (1-0)/I. Sarr 16, H. Diallo 71, Mane 90+5 – Castelletto 83/Guinea – Gambia 1-0 (0-0)/A. Camara 69/Saturday17:00: (1.72) Algeria (3.50) Burkina Faso (5.40)20:00: (3.15) Mauritania (3.05) Angola (2.45)23:00: (2.75) Tunisia (2.95) Mali (2.85)Sunday17:00: (1.58) Morocco (3.70) DR Congo (6.75)20:00: (2.30) Zambia (3.15) Tanzania (3.35)23:00: (2.00) S.Africa (3.30) Namibia (4.00)***odds are subject to change***