Equatorial Guinea s head coach Juan Micha gestures to the players during the African Cup of Nations Group A soccer match between Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau, at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic stadium, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. AP
The Elephants, who are recovering from their 1-0 loss to Nigeria, will be hosting Micha’s team in the last round of the African Cup of Nations group stage.
“It will be a very difficult match for both teams but more especially for Cote d’Ivoire because they are under pressure to win,” Micha was quoted as saying by CAF’s official website on Monday.
Equatorial Guinea currently lead Group A with four points, having secured a precious draw in the opener with Nigeria before beating Guinea Bissau in the second round.
Meanwhile, Cote d'Ivoire rank third in the group with three points from a victory over Guinea Bissau and a loss to Nigeria.
Equatorial Guinea failed to progress beyond the group stage in their three previous AFCON appearances, and Micha believes that deploying an early attacking strategy would play a key role in overcoming the Ivoirians and reaching the knockout stage.
“We will approach the match in a calm manner. We will not wait. We know that they will come at us and open up which will allow us to surprise them at their own stadium. We know that they are under pressure and not us,” he added.
Cote d'Ivoire are seeking their third African Cup title after winning the prestigious tournament twice previously in 1992 and 2015.
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