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Star-studded Ivory Coast will face a struggling Egypt side in this AFCON knockout game with hopes of making the next round.

The Ivorians have arguably the strongest squad in the competition and would feel they can win it.

They have also not been in bad form so far, winning two drawing one of their matches in the group stages.

One of their finest performances of the season came in their last group game against Algeria as they thrashed the reigning African champions 3-1.

Egypt lost their opening group game to Nigeria, but they won the next two 1-0 each, which isn’t the most convincing of scorelines.

However, they know they have to do better in this game else the Ivorians will knock them out easily.

Mohamed Salah is Egypt’s main man and one of the best players in the world, but the Liverpool star hasn’t been at his very best so far.

He has just a goal to his name and would want another when they face the Ivorians in this fixture.

Despite boosting some of the best names in Europe including Sadio Mane and Edouard Mendy, Senegal has been struggling at this AFCON.

The Teranga Lions won just one of their group stage match and the lone goal came very late in their first match in controversial manner.

They have kept a clean sheet in all their matches in the competition, but they haven’t scored from open play so far.

They would be favourites in this game and Cape Verde could take advantage of the pressure on them to secure an unlikely win.

The African minnows won one and lost one of their group stage matches and they will want to prove that they have what it takes to cause and upset in this fixture.

They didn’t face opponents as tough as Senegal in the group stages and know they would have to improve their level of performance to earn a win from this fixture.

These countries have met three times before now and Senegal has won every of those encounters.

Cameroon would face Comoros in this knockout tie hoping to secure a place in the next round of the AFCON.

The hosts have been in fine form for much of this competition thanks in part to the brilliant Vincent Abubakar.

His country would be banking him in this game as well and he should get a goal against the AFCON minnows.

Comoros have already done more than anyone expected them to do and their 3-2 defeat of Ghana in their last group game would live long in the memory of their fans.

Can they add Cameroon to the list of countries they have beaten?

The host is peaking at the right time considering they have been on a solid run of form in this competition so far.

Their home fans would be cheering them on from the stands, but they cannot be too confident and underrate Comoros regardless of what happens.

Cameroon has won all their last five home matches and they also beat Comoros the last time be countries met in 2019.

Italy will face Belgium in this match hoping to salvage at least a third-place finish in the Nations League.

They had high hopes of winning the trophy after their stunning Euro 2020 win in the summer.

The Italians remain one of the strongest teams in the world and would feel they could have beaten Spain in the semi-final if Leonardo Bonucci had not been red-carded.

This game offers the Azzurri a chance to get something from the Nations League, but Belgium is also hurting from France’s comeback win against them.

This generation of Belgium players is running out of time to win a trophy for their country.

The loss to France in the semi-finals was another blow to a squad that has arguably Europe’s best players.

These two nations are hurting from the disappointment in the semi-finals, but the Italians would feel they need to win this game more considering that the competition is being played in their country.

Italy beat Belgium in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 and this game offers the Belgians the chance to avenge that, but the Italians always beat their opponents in important competitive matches.

Spain would face France in this Nations League final after ending Italy’s 37-game unbeaten run.

The Spaniards are building a new team and have trusted youngsters like Gavi to make them a top country in football again.

They were in fine form at the Euros and only lost on penalties to the eventual winners, Italy.

They would now look to win this Nations League trophy, but France would be tough opponents.

The French came from two goals down to beat Belgium 3-2 in the semi-final to set up this clash.

That win was a huge one for them considering that they have been in poor form since they won the World Cup.

They would now look to use their experience and a lack of a recognized striker in Spain’s team to beat them.

Luis Enrique has done a great job with the young Spanish national team and would hope his players can get the job done again in this match.

However, France has the more experienced squad and they will want to use that to their advantage in this game.

Les Bleus showed great character in the semi-final, but they will want to start this game on the front foot instead because they might be unable to recover from a poor start.