Côte d'Ivoire Vs Sierra

Defending champions Ivory Coast are set to maintain their flawless record in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers as they host Sierra Leone at the Laurent Pokou Stadium this Friday.

Currently, the Ivorian team tops Group G, having secured six points from their two matches. In contrast, Sierra Leone finds themselves in third place in the group, struggling without a win in their first two encounters.

Ivory Coast has their sights set on becoming the first team to clinch back-to-back AFCON titles since Egypt achieved the feat in 2008 and 2010. The Ivorian squad has navigated through their qualifying matches with relative ease, defeating both Zambia and Chad.

Under the guidance of Emerse Fae, the team recorded convincing 2-0 victories in both matches, spaced just three days apart. The standout performer has been Jean-Philippe Krasso, who has showcased his scoring prowess by netting three goals during this stretch.

Currently, Les Elephants are on an impressive unbeaten streak of ten matches across all competitions. Notably, they have not conceded a goal in their last four games since their friendly match against Uruguay in March, where they triumphed 2-1.

Ivory Coast is in a strong position to qualify for their 11th consecutive AFCON tournament. A win in their upcoming match would bring them closer to securing their spot in the tournament.

In their history of encounters, this match will mark the 10th meeting between Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone. Out of the previous nine clashes, the Ivorians have emerged victorious six times, with three matches ending in draws. Their most recent meeting was a dominant 5-1 victory for Ivory Coast in January.

Sierra Leone, on the other hand, displayed resilience in their last match against Zambia, managing to come back from behind twice before ultimately suffering a 3-2 defeat at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on September 10. This defeat followed a disappointing goalless draw against Chad four days earlier, which is their only point in the qualifiers so far.

Despite only experiencing one loss in their last four matches, the Leone Stars have struggled, recording just one victory from their last eight outings since the start of the year.

As a result, Sierra Leone finds themselves needing to make up ground in both their World Cup and AFCON qualifying groups, but their immediate focus remains on AFCON.

With a troubling record of conceding 13 goals in their last four away matches, Sierra Leone must be cautious not to face another heavy defeat on the road this Friday.