AFCON 2023: DRC Coach Brags That “We Know Their Weaknesses” Ahead of AFCON Semifinal vs CIV

• Sebastian Desabre is talking tough ahead of DR Congo’s tie vs Ivory Coast
• The DRC coach has acknowledged the Elephants have a quality squad
• Ivory Coast vs DR Congo is scheduled for Wednesday, February 7 in Abidjan

Democratic Republic of Congo head coach Sebastian Desabre does not believe Ivory Coast will be fatigued coming into their Africa Cup of Nations semi-final clash after playing back-to-back extra-time games.

The Elephants needed penalty shootouts to defeat defending champions Senegal and another 120th minute winner against Mali to seal a spot in the semi-final after qualifying for the knockout stage as one of the best losers.

Speaking ahead of the crucial game at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, Desabre speaking in the press conference as reported by Sports Brief, reckons that Ivory Coast’s longer game time will not count as an advantage for his team.

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"Not necessarily Ivory coast has a quality squad. It is true four players are going to be absent for Ivory Coast but they have enough quality that can replace those players.

"When it comes to stamina we would see whether our game ending in regulation time could help us against Ivory Coast because we had enough time to recover."

Desabre also noted they have studied the Ivorian team, and they already know their strength and weaknesses ahead of their make-or-mar semi-final clash.

"We know their strengths and weaknesses and we know there are some things to improve, and we will display some new things tomorrow."

Ivory Coast and DR Congo had only met once in the AFCON knockout stage, in the 2015 semifinals, when the Elephants won 3-1 and went on to win the championship.

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Meanwhile, Ivory Coast is aiming to win its third Africa Cup of Nations title and must need to navigate its way past the Democratic Republic of Congo to reach another final, Punch reports.

The Elephants were champions of Africa in 1992 and 2015 as they hope to become the first host nation to win the continental showpiece since Egypt in 2006.

Ivory Coast has faced DR Congo five times in the Africa Cup of Nations, but this is their first meeting since a 2-2 draw in the group stage in 2017.

CIV coach wants AFCON title

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Emerse Fae, Ivory Coast's manager, has spoken about his motivation to win the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after failing to do so as a player.

Fae's fairytale run in the competition thus far is one of his most motivating factors, since he took over from Jean Louis Gasset just days before their Round of 16 match against defending champion Senegal.