AFCON 2023: Round of 16 to serve big encounters; Cameroon meet Nigeria as Senegal clash with Cote d’Ivoire
After 12-days of pure entertainment and great display of talent, the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 group stage has come to an end and the men have been separated from the boys.
The group stage produced everything expected of the grit the AFCON is made of; stellar shocks, goals, records, history and passionate fans turning up at match venues. A lot was served.
These are some of the interesting fixtures to look out for.
Nigeria v Cameroon
Despite a shaky start, the two giants managed their qualification to the round of 16 after their final round of matches.
Nigeria are hoping to end a decade of no AFCON trophy.
Rigobert Song is under pressure to give Cameroonians a better performance in the knockout stage after struggling in the group stage, where they won just a game.
Obviously, one of the powerhouses will be crashed out in the round of 16.
The game is on Saturday, January 27 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.
Cape Verde v Mauritania
After a shocking run in the group stage, which saw Cape Verde going unbeaten and leading a group involving two previous champions , Egypt and Ghana, the Blue Sharks will have Mauritania to deal with in the round of 16. Amir Abdou has already exceeded expectations by getting this far with Mauritania.
They can however write more history as they face Cape Verde. The game is on the Monday, January 29 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium.
Equatorial Guinea v Guinea
Equatorial Guinea shockingly managed to top a group involving hosts Côte D’Ivoire and Nigeria. They face a Guinean side who haven’t been consistent with results in this year’s AFCON.
The Syli Nationals will have the competition’s top scorer, Emilio Nsue to deal with in this fixture. The game is at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on Sunday, January 28.
Angola v Namibia
Namibia made history by qualifying to the knockout stage for the first time in their history since debuting in 1998. They face Angola who topped a group involving Burkina Faso, Burkina Faso and Mauritania with 7 points.
Angola will want more based on their record in the history of the competition; two times quarter finalist. The game is scheduled to take place at Stade de la paix in Bouake on January 27.
Mali v Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso brought their group stage games to a disappointing end after losing 2-0 to Angola. Mali went unbeaten in all their group stage games and will have the advantage of playing at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Kohorgo. The venue they played most of their group games at. The game is on the January 29 at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium.
Egypt vs D.R Congo
Egypt qualified after drawing all group games, it was obviously not a good one for the Pharaohs. As the most successful country in the history of the competition, their presence in the knockout stage is a threat to any team they face and D.R Congo is no exception. The game will be played on January 28 at the Laurent Pokou Stadium.
Senegal vs Côte d’lvoire
Following their disappointing 4-0 defeat on the final day, host Côte d’lvoire only progressed after Zambia lost to Morocco in their final group F game. They have been handed a tough test against defending champions, Senegal.Senegal have a 100% record in the tournament and the fixture is a tough one for the host.
The game will be played at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium on January, 29.
Morocco vs South Africa
The 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinalists are on track to win the AFCON. On their way to achieving the feat, they will face South Africa in the Round of 16. The South Africa attack with Percy Tau and Thembo Zwane will give the Moroccans lot of problems to deal with. The game is on January 30 at the Laurent Pokou Stadium.
