A place in the final is up for grabs as Ivory Coast vs DR Congo go toe-to-toe with each other at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024). Which of these teams will be left standing at the end of this match?
Ivory Coast vs DR Congo overview
This semi-final game will be played on Wednesday February 7 at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Abidjan. Kick-off time is 9 pm WAT.
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast's path to the final has been a rather interesting one.
They kicked off their AFCON campaign with a victory, then proceeded to lose back-to-back games, finishing third in Group A.
Interestingly, the Elephants managed to secure a spot in the knockout stages on the last day, thanks to Morocco.
After the departure of Jean-Louis Gasset, Ivory Coast have looked a lot better with Emerse Faé in charge, as they beat Senegal and Mali en route to the semi-finals.
DR Congo
DR Congo, on the other hand, played out there consecutive draws in the group stages, but it was enough to clinch the second-place spot in Group F.
In the knockout stages, despite being the underdogs against Egypt and Guinea, Sebastien Desabre's troops reigned supreme, earning a place in the last four.
Ivory Coast vs DR Congo head to head
This will be the 16th encounter between these teams since they first met in April 1960.
As it stands, Ivory Coast have six wins, DR Congo won four times, while five meetings ended in stalemates.
Both teams will meet at the Africa Cup of Nations for the fifth time on Wednesday. Ivory Coast have two wins, a draw and a loss in their previous four skirmishes.
The most recent encounter between these outfits took place in January last year at the African Nations Championships (CHAN), while their last clash at the AFCON was in January 2017.
Ivory Coast vs DR Congo potential lineups
Unfortunately, Faé will not be able to call upon the services of Oumar Diakité and Odilon Kossounou.
Both players were sent off in their quarter-final clash with Mali, and are suspended for this match.
The Elephants are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Yahia Fofana starting between the sticks.
Fofana has conceded in four consecutive matches, so he'll hope to keep a clean sheet for the first time since Ivory Coast's AFCON opener.
On the other hand, Edo Kayembe is still sidelined for DR Congo due to an injury, and he's yet to play at AFCON 2024.
Desabre will likely adopt the same 4-2-3-1 formation, with Cédric Bakambu leading the attack.
The former Villarreal player made the switch from Galatasaray to Real Betis just last week, he's still hunting for his first goal of this competition.
With that being said, these are our probable Ivory Coast vs DR Congo lineups:
Ivory Coast
Goalkeeper: Yahia Fofana.
Defenders: Serge Aurier, Wilfried Singo, Evan Ndicka, Ghislain Konan.
Midfielders: Jean Michaël Seri, Franck Kessié, Nicolas Pépé, Seko Fofana, Max Gradel.
Forwards: Christian Kouamé.
DR Congo
Goalkeeper: Lionel M'pasi.
Defenders: Arthur Masuaku, Henoc Inonga, Chancel Mbemba, Gedeon Kalulu.
Midfielders: Samuel Moutoussamy, Charles Pickel, Yoane Wissa, Theó Bongonda, Meschack Elia.
Forwards: Cédric Bakambu.
Ivory Coast vs DR Congo tactical analysis
It's worth mentioning that Ivory Coast won their semi-final game after extra time, and their Round of 16 match on penalties.
The Elephants have no wins at the end of regulation time in their last four games.
Interestingly, DR Congo's 3-1 victory over Guinea was the first time they won a game after 90 minutes. Desabre's men had drawn four consecutive matches since the start of the tournament, with their Round of 16 match going all the way to a penalty shootout.
Ivory Coast vs DR Congo prediction
We are fairly confident that this match will go all the way to extra time.
This may seem like a bold prediction, but it's important to note that four of DR Congo's last five games were tied at the end of regulation time, while Ivory Coast's last two games went to extra time.
With that in mind, our Ivory Coast vs DR Congo prediction is a draw. We believe whoever wins this game will do so so in extra time or on penalties.
Where to watch Ivory Coast vs DR Congo live
Fans from Ivory Coast can catch all the action live on Canal+ RTI and RTI La 3.
Meanwhile RTNC, New World Sport1 and AfroSport TV will broadcast this match for those who live in DR Congo.
