In a match that could see the winner advance to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé says his team is determined to win on Friday at the Levy Mwanawansa stadium in Ndola, despite knowing Zambia always gives them problems.
The Chipolopolo are currently second in Group G with 7 points, trailing the Elephants, who have 9, while Sierra Leone and Chad are third and fourth, with 4 and 2 points, respectively.
Zambia needs a win over Ivory Coast and hopes that the match between Sierra Leone and Chad does not produce a winner in order to qualify for next year’s tournament with a game remaining. Similarly, a victory for the defending African champions will ensure their qualification.
“We’re used to playing teams that cause us problems, especially when they’re at home. We know that Zambia causes problems,” Faé told reporters on Saturday after unveiling his 25-member squad.
“We know that Zambia is targeting the AFCON. It’s normal. So they’re going to do everything to win this match because, afterward, they have a final against Sierra Leone in Liberia. So they will give their all in this match, so we’re going to focus on ourselves first.”
Ivory Coast seeking redemption
Ivory Coast suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Sierra Leone in their most recent match, and Faé hopes to recover from that humiliation when they face Zambia.
“We lost our last match. So, like great teams, we have the ability to react after a defeat, right? We’re really going there to take care of business and go for qualification through a victory; everything that happened before is in the past for us.
“We are focused on what will happen tomorrow and we will go there to win the match, not just to look for a draw, because a draw is enough for us, but we are Ivorian. As I said, as I told the player, we are Ivory Coast, and we have a duty to go everywhere to win. So we are going there, not to avenge what happened in Zambia two years ago; that’s behind us. We are focused on what is coming.”
The last time Ivory Coast travelled to Zambia, they were defeated 3-0 in Ndola during the 2023 AFCON qualifiers, but they avenged that loss in September this year by defeating the Chipolopolo 2-0 in Bouaké.
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