You can Watch the Live Match Stream of Côte d'Ivoire Vs Algeria via beIN CONNECT
Ibrahim
Kamara warned Côte d'Ivoire that Riyad Mahrez will not be the only
threat Algeria pose them in Thursday's Africa Cup of Nations
quarter-final.
Algeria have cruised through the AFCON in emphatic
fashion, winning all four of their matches without conceding a single
goal, including a convincing 3-0 last-16 triumph over Guinea.
While
Côte d'Ivoire represent a greater challenge than Algeria have faced so
far, the Fennec Foxes are one of the few remaining favourites following
the shock exits of Egypt and Morocco.
Mahrez has unsurprisingly
been a star for Algeria, though Adam Ounas is the joint-leading scorer
in the competition with three and Youcef Belaili – similarly to the
Manchester City winger – has two to his name.
Consequently, Kamara wants Côte d'Ivoire to be completely alert to all the Algeria threats, not just Mahrez.
"Algeria
is a great team. They do not play only with Riyad Mahrez. If so, the
other players would stay in the locker room," Kamara said. "We will face
a team that's difficult to handle.
"Djamel Belmadi has done an
excellent job since he was made coach. I will not go so far as to say
that I would have liked to avoid Algeria, because at this stage of the
competition we have no choice.
"To be able to go all the way in
this tournament, you have to play seven matches. We've played four,
there are still three to go.
"Algeria is a great team, playing for
the final coronation. We have our idea about the Algerian team, that is
collectively strong with very good individuals."
As impressive as
Algeria have been, Belmadi's side need to guard against complacency and
he has urged his team to be ready to mount a response if they finally
concede.
"We are now in a new stage where we will face
difficulties, so we have to be aware," he said. "The players are
determined and they will spare no effort to make the people happy.
"We
have to have a good reaction in the case of conceding a goal, a
scenario that until now we've not experienced during this AFCON. We'd
need to recover our poise and change the game in our favour."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Côte d'Ivoire – Wonlo Coulibaly
Algeria
have been strong as an attacking unit in the competition, with much of
their threat coming from the flanks. Mahrez will likely start, meaning
Coulibaly could be in for a busy outing. The Elephants' left-back was
solid against Mali, however, making six tackles, three clearances and
five recoveries.
Algeria – Adam Ounas
Although
Mahrez is Algeria's most notable name, Ounas has arguably had a greater
impact than any of his team-mates at the tournament. The 22-year-old
Napoli winger has three goals and one assist despite making just two
appearances. He might start on the bench as he did against Guinea, but
he showed he can impact the game as a substitute.
KEY OPTA FACTS
-
This will be the eighth game between Algeria and Côte d'Ivoire in the
Africa Cup of Nations, with the Elephants leading three wins to two (two
draws).
- Algeria have reached the quarter-finals of the AFCON for the sixth
time in their history, their first since they were eliminated by Côte
d'Ivoire in 2015. They are the third team to win their four first games
in an AFCON campaign without conceding any goals, after Cameroon in 2002
and Ivory Coast in 2012.
- The Elephants will play their 10th AFCON quarter-final, only Ghana
have played more (11). They have advanced in five of their last six
knockout games in the competition (excluding the final).
- Ounas has been involved in four of Algeria's last six goals in the
AFCON (three goals, one assist). He is the joint-top goalscorer of the
tournament, alongside Odion Ighalo, Cedric Bakambu and Sadio Mane.
- Wilfried Zaha has scored two of Côte d'Ivoire's last three goals in
the AFCON. He netted in each of his past two games in the competition,
after failing to do so in the first four.
