Senegal will renew their rivalry with hosts Ivory Coast in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 match at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro tonight.
The Lions of Teranga booked their spot in this round of the tournament as group C winners, having wrapped their group stage campaign with a 2-0 victory over Guinea on 23 January.
Senegal are enjoying a seven-match unbeaten run across all competitions with the reigning Afcon champions having recorded six victories and one draw.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast suffered a 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea in their final group A match on 22 January, but they advanced to the round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams.
The heavy defeat to Equatorial Guinea extended the Elephants’ winless run to two matches across all competitions, having registered two consecutive defeats.
Senegal could be without Pape Gueye who left the field of play due to injury in the game against Guinea. His teammate Abdallah Sima has been ruled out for the remainder of the Afcon finals due to a thigh injury.
Ivory Coast, on the other hand, are likely to be without their star striker Sebastien Haller, who missed all three group matches due to an ankle injury. There are no suspensions for either team.
In a pre-match interview, Ivory Coast caretaker coach Emerse Faé said “I think we have less weight on our shoulders because the wait really hurt us and now we are free.”
