Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso will renew their West African rivalry in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Round of 16 match at the Marrakesh Stadium in Marrakesh, Morocco, Monday.
The Elephants ended their group stage campaign in style as they claimed a 3-2 victory over Gabon on December 31 as they extended their unbeaten run to four matches across all competitions, including three victories.
Head coach of the Elephants, Emerse Fae has said they have rested and so are ready to take on the Burkinabes and overcome them so they could retain the title they won at home about two years ago.
“It is good for the team and to finish first in the group and continue to play here in Marrakesh on Tuesday against Burkina Faso. We had a couple of days to rest and recover so we are ready for that game.
“I just want to achieve the same thing we achieved in Ivory Coast. It will be difficult because we are not at home, but we are ready for that because this is a goal for the whole country,” Fae said.
His Burkina Faso counterpart, Brama Traore believes his players are determined work harder in the knockout stages so they can achieve good results.
“We are trying to stand out in the knockout stages. We must continue our work, move forward, and inscribe a golden star on the Burkina Faso national team’s jersey. Our players are determined to make the difference and to achieve good results in this edition of the Africa Cup of Nations,” Traore said.
“What matters to us are the results and the fact that we are representing our country. Before the match, we were already more focused on preparing for the Round of 16. We had to rotate the squad for the match against Sudan, and we decided to rest some players ahead of the next round.”
The winner between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso will face either Egypt or Benin in the quarter-finals on January 10 at the Adrar Stadium in Agadir, Morocco.
