DR Congo and Benin will kick off Group D of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday afternoon after they meet on the Al Barid Stadium in Rabat. With Senegal and Botswana nonetheless ready later within the group, either side know this opener may form all the things that follows, so beginning nicely issues, possibly greater than ordinary.
DR Congo arrives in Morocco with confidence that has been constructing for months now. After reaching the semi-finals on the final AFCON and falling solely to eventual champions Ivory Coast, Sebastien Desabre’s facet has continued to develop.
DR Congo posted pictures of their gamers coaching forward of the sport by way of their official X account.
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Softfootball understands that their World Cup qualifying path was not easy, ending as probably the greatest runners-up, however current victories over Cameroon and Nigeria within the inter-confederation playoffs have lifted perception once more.
They’re now only one win away from solely their second-ever look at a World Cup, which says rather a lot.
Preparation for this match has additionally been strong. A snug win over Zambia of their ultimate warm-up made it 5 victories in a row, conceding simply as soon as in that stretch. That defensive self-discipline might be very important in a contest the place video games typically flip tight and bodily, particularly early on.
Benin, against this, remains to be in search of rhythm. That is solely their fifth AFCON look, and their finest run stays a quarter-final exit again in 2019. Nonetheless, the presence of head coach Gernot Rohr brings some hope. The German is aware of this match nicely, having led Nigeria to a bronze medal in 2019, and his expertise may depend.
Current type is worrying, although; a 4-0 defeat to Nigeria within the World Cup qualifiers and a 3-0 defeat to Burkina Faso have knocked confidence.
Benin have by no means crushed Congo DR earlier than, however Tuesday may really feel like an excellent likelihood to attempt to change that.
Group Information
Congo DR shall be with out Yoane Wissa, who is just simply coming back from a protracted knee harm picked up in the course of the September worldwide break. His absence places stress on Cedric Bakambu, who will lead the assault and is simply two targets away from breaking Dieumerci Mbokani’s long-standing nationwide report.
Benin are anticipated to depend on Steve Mounie up entrance. He, too, is chasing historical past, sitting two targets in need of Stephane Sessegnon’s nationwide scoring report. Younger midfielder Dokou Dodo, 21, seems set to make his AFCON debut after changing into a daily below Rohr.
Doable Lineups
Congo DR:
Mpasi-Nzau; Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe, Mbemba, Masuaku; Mukau, Moutoussamy, Sadiki; Elia, Bakambu, Mbuku
Benin:
Dandjinou; Kiki, Tijani, Verdon, Ouorou; Imourane, Dodo, Olaitan; Aloko, Mounie, Tosin
Congo DR seems to be in a greater place proper now, each mentally and tactically. Even with out Wissa, their current type and defensive energy ought to be sufficient to regulate this opener.
Prediction: Congo DR 1–0 Benin
