Two of the 2023 African Nations Championship favourites face off at the Stade 19 Mai 1956 on Saturday as Ivory Coast and Senegal lock horns in their opening fixtures.

The teams have been drawn in Group B of the competition, where they will battle it out against Uganda and two-time winners Congo DR for a place in the knockout stages.

Match preview

Ivory Coast fell to a heavy 3-0 defeat against the Chinguetti Lions of Mauritania when the sides went head-to-head in Monday's friendly meeting.

First-half goals from Bessam and Hemeya Tanjy left Souhalio Haidara's men with a mountain to climb before Bona put the result beyond doubt four minutes from time.

Having managed five victories from six outings either side of the new year, the Elephants have now failed to win any of the subsequent two matches.

Coming up next is the task of facing off against an opposing outfit who have come out on top in just one of the previous 10 editions of this fixture.

After failing to take part in the most recent CHAN tournament back in 2020, Ivory Coast will be seeking to announce their arrival at this year's event in grand style.

Senegal wrapped up their preparations for the upcoming African Nations Championship on a high courtesy of a narrow 1-0 triumph over Congo on Monday.

Pape Thiaw's men opened the scoring early on through midfielder Lamine Camara, and that proved to be the all-important moment in a game where clear-cut chances were few and far between.

That was a first victory in four matches across all competitions for the Lions of Teranga, who also recorded their first clean sheet since September.

Featuring in only a third edition of the tournament, Senegal will be keen to put on a show off the back of a relatively decent World Cup display in Qatar.

Team News

Karamoko Sankara is one to keep an eye on for Ivory Coast here, with the 19-year-old having netted three goals in his last four outings at club level.

Aubin Kramo will also be looking to enjoy a fruitful outing for his nation in Algeria as he continues to find the back of the net on a consistent basis.

Papa Diallo was on target in each of his three outings for the Senegal Under-20s last year, and the forward will be heavily relied upon once again to deliver the goods.

Alioune Badara boasts a high level of experience at this level compared to the rest of his teammates, making him an obvious pick for the captain's armband.

Ivory Coast possible starting lineup:
Drissa; Charles, Romeo, Fabrice, Valy; Kramo, Topio, Pacome; Sankara, Salif, Alain

Senegal possible starting lineup:
Badara; Balde, Sane, Sidibe, Ndiaye; Camara, Kane, Ngom; Diallo, Diouf, Ndour

We say: Ivory Coast 1-1 Senegal

With two top sides battling it out for three crucial points to get themselves underway, we expect an open and end-to-end affair with goals at both ends. We can also the teams matching each other and settling for a point apiece in the end.

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