If there was one team which deserved to win the Afcon long before they eventually did, it would be Ivory Coast After battling to claim that title, they fell behind the scenes as the recent curse of the Afcon continued. However, this year's Afcon would see all the big players back into the tournament and that would also mean having the Ivorians back into the fold. It is not surprising then that the match against South Africa is looked upon with renewed interest as both teams take on each other in the first match of the group stages.
Ivory Coast
Both teams are currently in Group D and would be eager to kick off their campaign. As always, winning the first game would give any team a considerable boost and set them on their way to earning themselves a ticket to the next round. The Ivorians would want exactly that and would look for ways to achieve their aim. However, their opponents are known to play very exciting attacking football. It would be interesting to see how they would deal effectively with the threat which the South Africans would have especially when on the counter-attack. South Africa would also be looking towards this match.
South Africa
There have been no trophies for South Africa in such a long time. With each year of qualification to the Afcon, they give themselves a chance to break the jinx. This time, they find themselves in Group D with teams that would surely lead them to fancy their chances. Their first game is against the Ivorians and they would want to be at their best going into the game. Historically, South Africa has a bad record against West African teams. They have failed to secure a lot of wins when playing in the Afcon against these teams. Winning this game, therefore, would do more than give them a good start. It would also ensure that they break their losing streak against these teams earlier mentioned. One thing that would be on their mind would be the form of their opponents and how it would influence the game.
Form
Ivory Coast has had a largely average showing in games played recently. These games have seen them clinch three victories. However, they have also lost twice in the process with just a drew wedged in between both losses. Nevertheless, the Afcon is a new beginning and they would be eager to grasp it with both hands.
For South Africa, their form has not been any better. In fact, it can be argued that with two wins, they have fared worse than their opponents. However, they have also gotten two draws out of the remaining four games. The others have ended in losses. They have to put all that behind them as they strive to achieve greatness and success. The Ivorians would not be easy foes, to say the least.
Get ready for another entertaining match as Ivory Coast play South Africa in this thrilling encounter.