All Congo clash in Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals

It’s reaching the business end of the Africa Cup of Nations, with intriguing clashes between the last eight teams left in the competition, as the quarter-finals take centre stage. Here, we preview the first two.

Congo V DR Congo
This one will certainly inspire intrigue. Congo were 40/1 outsiders with Coral prior to the tournament starting, and 6/1 to top their group, which they did with two wins and a draw.

As a result, they are 9/5 to beat namesake and rivals DR Congo in this quarter-final clash, and their secret weapon, coach Claude Le Roy, who steered Cameroon to cup success in 1988, appears determined that his team upset the odds.

The 66-year-old looks back on the journey to the finals with fondness and evident pride. “Many people thought it inconceivable that Congo would qualify, with South Africa and the champions, Nigeria, in our group,” he said. “But South Africa went, and now we have eliminated the team (Nigeria) beat in the final, Burkina Faso. I am so proud.”

Such is his passion, he shouted so many instructions in the 2-1 win over Burkina Faso that he lost his voice, exclaiming: “We are the only team in the competition without even one player who has played in the Cup of Nations before. Congo hasn’t been in the tournament for 15 years.”

Striker Thievy Bifouma, who is joint-top scorer in the tournament, is 5/2 to net anytime against a DR Congo side who only conceded twice in the group stage, while their best chance could come via Crystal Palace speedster Yannick Bolasie who is 10/3 in the anytime market and has netted one out of two of their goals.

Tunisia V Equatorial Guinea
Group B table-toppers Tunisia are 6/5 favourites to beat the tournament hosts and are so far undefeated in the Africa Cup of Nations this year.