Ivory Coast vs Algeria Women WAFCON Preview
A place in the last four is up for grabs as Ivory Coast battle Algeria in the quarter-finals of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
Both teams had solid group stage campaigns but have been a bit shaky at the back lately and could be set to serve up goals.
Key Stats
- Ivory Coast scored in all three group stage matches.
- Ivory Coast conceded in all three group stage matches.
- Algeria have scored in seven of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- Algeria have conceded in five of their last eight matches in all competitions.
One Previous Meeting
There has been only one previous meeting between both teams, with Ivory Coast claiming a 1-0 victory over Algeria in a friendly back in 2014.
Ivory Coast Looking Solid
Ivory Coast ended their group stage campaign with a 2-1 victory over Tanzania. They took a two-goal lead through Nsira Ouedraogo and Ines Konan, and were able to hold on for the win despite conceding deep into added time.
That result maintained Ivory Coast's unbeaten record in the competition, having claimed two wins and a draw from their three group stage matches. Reynald Pedros’ team qualified for the knockout stage as Group B winners.
One of the impressive aspects of Ivory Coast's WAFCON campaign is their attacking display, having scored eight goals across three group stage matches. However, they also showed some defensive vulnerability, conceding in all three fixtures.
Algeria Doing Enough
Algeria were also victorious in their final group stage fixture, earning a 2-0 win over Kenya. First-half efforts from Marine Dafeur and Lynda Bendris were enough to see out the victory.
It was a vital return to winning ways for Algeria, who were beaten 1-0 by Morocco in their previous fixture. The Fennecs won two of their three Group A matches to qualify for the quarter-finals in second place.
Like the West Africans, Algeria have also shown some attacking quality lately, scoring in seven of the last 10 matches in all competitions. However, Farid Benstiti's team are a bit shaky at the back, failing to keep a clean sheet in five of their last eight fixtures in all competitions.
Team News and Predicted Line-ups
Ivory Coast (4-4-2): Aramatou Diakite; Aicha Fofana, Anastasie Gbehi, Mariam Diakite, Katchi Yapo; Rosemonde Kouassi, Grace Sery, Bernadette Amani, Rebecca Elloh; Nsira Ouedraogo, Ines Konan.
Ivory Coast ended the group stage with no injuries or suspensions and have no need to ring in the changes. Konan and Ouedraogo should continue their attacking partnership after scoring the goals last time out, while Gbehi is set to line up at centre-back once again.
Algeria (4-2-3-1): Chloe N'gazi; Lana Smits, Wassila Alouache, Roselene Khezami, Ines Belloumou; Amria Ould Braham, Marine Dafeur; Morgane Ikene, Melissa Bethi, Laura Taleb Muller; Lynda Bendris.
Defender Sofia Guellati and forward Ines Boutaleb went off injured for Algeria last time out and could be set to miss Saturday’s clash. They are likely to be replaced by Alouache and Taleb Muller, while Bendris is expected to lead the line once again.