2023 AFCON: Cote d’Ivoire v Guinea-Bissau preview

by Thando Mpembe

Thursday Jan 11, 2024. 12:16

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations will get underway with a Group A match between tournament hosts Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium.

Date: Saturday 13 January 2024

Kick-off: 22h00 CAT

Head-to-head: Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau have met only once before: a 2001 West Africa Nations Cup match played in Bissau which was won 4-1 by the Elephants.

Cote d’Ivoire’s last three results: The Elephants have put together an impressive three-game winning streak heading into the tournament. Last weekend they thrashed Sierra Leone 5-1 in a warm-up friendly, while prior to that they racked up 9-0 and 2-0 wins over Seychelles and the Gambia respectively in 2026 World Cup qualifying matches in November.

Guinea-Bissau’s last three results: The Djurtus have had mixed results of late, including a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Mali in a warm-up friendly last weekend. Prior to that, their two World Cup qualification matches in November produced a 1-1 draw with Burkina Faso and 1-0 win over minnows Djibouti.

Team news: Neither side has any reported injury worries heading into the opening match, and are likely to select similar starting XIs to those fielded in their warm-up matches last weekend.

Key players, Cote d’Ivoire: Keep an eye out for Jeremie Boga, who registered both a goal and an assist in their 5-1 friendly win over Sierra Leone last weekend, as well as Sebastien Haller, who will be expected to spearhead the Elephants’ attempt to win a third AFCON title.

Key players, Guinea-Bissau: The Djurtus strength lies in midfield, where Alfa Semedo and Mauro Rodrigues are two of their most gifted players. Semedo is the more experienced and defensive-minded, while Rodrigues has the attacking gifts to both create and finish off scoring chances.