11:00 ET Canada-USA | 18:00 Cairo Local Time
Venue: Japoma Stadium, Douala
Favorites to go through together from Group E, holders Algeria and two-time champions Ivory Coast lock horns in the matchday 3 with Les Fennecs needing a win to avoid an early unexpected exit from the Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021 group stage.
Meanwhile, Les Elephants need a point to secure their place in the Round of 16.
Ivory Coast lead the group on four points, one more than Equatorial Guinea. Sierra Leone (2 points) and Algeria (one) follow in that order.
Ivory Coast
A draw will be enough for the Elephants to go through, but they know it’s a tough mission against the defending champions.
After a narrow 1-0 victory against Equatorial Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire conceded an injury-time goal to get just a 2-2 draw with Sierra Leone, in a group that was shuffled by the brave performances and shocking results of both Leone Stars and Nzalang Nacional.
In the last edition in Egypt 2019, Algeria ousted Les Elephants from the quarterfinals, beating them on penalties. The Ivorians might seek revenge this time.
Algeria
Highly pitted to retain their title after a long unbeaten series, Algeria are on the verge of a shocking premature exit with a lone point from their first two games.
A goalless draw with Sierra Leone was followed by a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea, making it a “win or die” situation for Les Fennecs against Ivory Coast.
And a win only will make Djamel Belmadi’s team survive the scare of seeing history repeating itself. After winning their maiden AFCON title at home in 1990, Algeria were knocked out of the group stage in the next edition (Senegal 1992) with a lone point. A scenario that just the three points could avoid.
Djamel Belmadi (Coach, Algeria)
“This match could be an early final. On Thursday against Ivory Coast, we have no choice. We must win to continue the competition. And we’re going to put all the ingredients for that. Algeria just lacked efficiency during this tournament. About the pressure, we have had it since taking office in 2018. All our matches have been played with pressure, but we have to positively feel this feeling.
Riyad Mahrez (Captain, Algeria)
“I am very optimistic about the result. Apart from efficiency, we played well in this competition. And against Ivory Coast, a match that we absolutely must win, there is not a lot of talk. We must act on the pitch, and we will put all the necessary ingredients. We know that the Algerians are following us. We’re going to give it our all.”
LIVE: Ivory Coast v Algeria | AFCON 2021
11:00 ET Canada-USA | 18:00 Cairo Local Time
