DR Congo, Guinea fancy their chances in semis clash

Wednesday, semi final Congo DR v Guinea (Amahoro, Kigali, 16:00) Thursday Mali v Ivory Coast (Kigali Regional Stadium, 16:00) DR Congo head coach Jean-Florent Ibenge is looking to reach the final of this year’s African Nations Championship (CHAN) which is underway in Rwanda. His Les Leopards side will today face Guinea’s Syli in a semi-final fixture at Amahoro National Stadium in Remera, Kigali Les Leopards reached this stage after eliminating hosts Rwanda in the quarter-finals last Saturday, while Guinea beat Zambia at the same stage on Sunday. The Congolese side, who failed to go past the group stage in each of the last two editions, will be hoping to overcome the West Africans and possibly replicate the form of 2009 that saw them become the first nation to win CHAN, a biennial tournament reserved for African national teams exclusively made up of players who ply their trade in their home countries. “I am confident that my teams are strong enough to win any game,” he said. “I know it will be difficult against Guinea but we are ready nonetheless.” DR Congo will be without key forward Hertier Luvumbu who picked up a knee injury in their 2-1 win over Rwanda. Ibenge also linked the success of his CHAN side to the vitality of their national football league. “We have built a strong league, that’s why you see TP Mazembe and Vita Club are among the big clubs in Africa, that has given us some pressure to do well even in the national team.” “We come into this competition committed to earn medals, we are looking forward to overcome Guinea,” the 58 years old added. Guinea players celebrate a goal during a past CHAN 2016 game. (Net photo) However, Guinea, the only debutants in the CHAN tournament, are also full of confidence going into today’s tie. They reached this stage after beating Zambia 5-4 on penalties after the match ended 0-0. Head coach Mohamed Kanfory Bangour warned Guinea were ready to give DR Congo a run for their money. “We know what we want, against Zambia we were not the favourites and we are in a similar situation against DR Congo, nonetheless we are very determined and willing to produce our best performance, even against big sides.” “We are in a proper frame of mind, we want to reach the final,” he added. In the other semi-final match, Ivory Coast will tomorrow battle it out against Mali. The final is due on Sunday at Amahoro National Stadium. CHAN 2016 Top Scorers GOAL! 4 Ahmed Akaichi (Tunisia)GOAL! 4 Elvis Chisom Chikatara (Nigeria)GOAL! 3 Ernest Sugira (Rwanda)GOAL! 2 Saad Bguir (Tunisia)GOAL! 2 Abdelghani Mouaoui (Morocco) editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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DR Congo, Guinea fancy their chances in semis clash