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2023 Africa Cup of Nations
Quarter-finals
DR Congo v Guinea
Alassane Ouattara Stadium
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Friday, 2 February 2024
Kick-off is at 22h00
DR Congo will be targeting their maiden
Africa Cup of Nations victory over Guinea when they clash in the quarter-finals at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on Friday, February 2.
The Leopards lead 3-1 in their match-ups with the National Elephants, who won their first-ever meeting 2-1 during the group stages in the 2004 edition of the continental showpiece.
DR Congo ran out 3-1 victors in a friendly the following year and came out on top again in their two most recent encounters, winning both home (3-1) and away (2-1) during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
Sebastien Desabre's side should be brimming with confidence after they knocked out record seven-time African champions Egypt 8-7 on penalties in the round of 16 on January 28 following a 1-1 draw.
It was their first victory in Ivory Coast as the Central Africans had emerged from Group F as runners-up with just three points, having played out to three successive draws against Zambia (1-1), Morocco (1-1) and Tanzania (0-0).
Guinea's 1-0 triumph over Equatorial Guinea in the last 16 was a momentous occasion as it was the first time since 1976 that they had won a knockout game.
Kaba Diawara's side qualified for the knockout stages as the best third-placed team after playing out to a 1-1 draw with Cameroon and beating Gambia 1-0 before losing 2-0 to defending champions Senegal.
Desabre believes his team are potential contenders for the AFCON title after they sent the Pharaohs packing, while the Lions of Teranga were also eliminated at the second hurdle.
"I am proud of my players. I knew my team was capable of competing with the Pharaohs," the Frenchman said. "I always said that we were challengers. We will recover and prepare for the match against Guinea.
"We want to go as far as possible. We know our strengths and our weaknesses. The credit goes to my players. I am happy with their riot of energy."
Diawara was beaming with pride after their historic win against the National Thunder and feels their hard work over the last two years is starting to bear fruit.
"It means a lot because we knew the historic nature that this match had. We knew that, by winning, it would be the first time since 1976 that we won a knockout game," he said.
"We're proud. We've been working together for two years and we've grown together. We managed to adapt, even if the manner wasn't the best. Last minute, but I said I wanted us to win and that's what we did."
Head-to-Head:
Matches - 4
DR Congo wins - 3
Guinea wins - 1
Draws - 0
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