Equatorial Guinea coach Juan Micha says the pressure is on Ivory Coast ahead of their pivotal Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, clash on Monday (today).
The Ivorians must beat group leaders Equatorial Guinea to guarantee progress from their AFCON Group A as tournament hosts.
“It will be difficult for both teams, but more so for Ivory Coast, because they are under pressure to win,” Micha declared.
Equatorial Guinea topped the group after beating Guinea-Bissau 4-2 following their opening 1-1 draw with Nigeria.
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A point against Ivory Coast would seal qualification for the knockout stage. But Micha wants an upset win to eliminate the favoured hosts.
“We know they’ll come at us which will allow us to surprise them in their own stadium. The pressure is on them, not us,” he said.
Ivory Coast lost 1-0 to Nigeria last time out and need a victory to advance and avoid early embarrassment.
The two sides have met twice before at the AFCON, with Ivory Coast winning both previous encounters in 2012 and 2022.
But Equatorial Guinea are full of confidence after their results so far in Group A.
“We will approach this match calmly. We will not wait for them,” Micha said.
The game at Alassane Ouattara Stadium kicks off at 6 pm (Nigerian time) local time on Monday.
It will be played at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpe, at the same time as the other group match between Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau.
Super Eagles of Nigeria on the other hand, will face Guinea-Bissau on Monday (today), the same time, seeking at least a draw to advance from their Africa Cup of Nations Group A.
Nigeria is positioned second in Group A after drawing 1-1 and winning 0-1 in their first two games against Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast respectively.
The Ivorians, who have shown tremendous support for the host country in their two matches, will be quite disappointed if they lose.
