Mali coach Eric Chelle and interim Ivory Coast mentor Emerse Fae are refusing to get sucked into the hype ahead of the two nation’s quarterfinal clash at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday the 2nd of February, with the game set to take place at Stade Bouake.
Mali sealed their place in the quarterfinals of the showpiece courtesy of a 2-1 win over Burkina Faso on Tuesday 30 January. An own goal by Edmond Tapsoba, followed by Lassine Sinayoko’s effort in the 47th were enough for Les Aigles to qualify for the last eight in Ivory Coast. As for the host nation, the Elephants marched to the quarterfinals following their 5-4 penalty win over Senegal earlier this week, which was in effect one of the shock results of the tournament so far.
According to reports, Mali star Amadou Haidara is a doubt for Saturday’s clash, while Sebastien Haller and Simon Adingra could be in contention for Ivory Coast this weekend after making their way back from their respective injuries.
