"The group phase is over, and we're now going to take part in another competition with different rules, in which there's no room for the loser."
Former Uganda Cranes head coach Sebastien Desabre will have a chance to guide the Democratic Republic of Congo into the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarterfinals when they take on Egypt in San Pedro on Sunday.
It's a second try for Desabre at this stage, having been stopped by Sadio Mane and Senegal in 2019 at the Round of 16 with Uganda.
Meanwhile, against the Pharaohs on Sunday, the Frenchman is optimistic his team will hit the Last 8.
"We're ready to take on the Egyptian national team, which has a powerful attack," Desabre told the press ahead of the game.
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"The group phase is over, and we're now going to take part in another competition with different rules, in which there's no room for the loser."
"The players in my team are well aware of what is expected of them, both individually and collectively, and are ready for it (...). Egypt conceded six goals and played in three different ways. We're going to work to exploit their defensive shortcomings."
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On the other hand, it has been a difficult AFCON so far for 2021 finalists Egypt, who lost their talisman Mohamed Salah to injury in the second game and have yet to win upon the conclusion of the group stage, securing three draws.
Luckily, three draws were enough to seal second for the record seven-time AFCON winners, and the omission of Salah may not prove fatal as other Egyptian players have scored five of their six goals so far in this tournament.
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"We're going into the competition with a two-fold objective: to go as far as possible and continue to work on renewing our squad," Desabre noted.
While they were eliminated at this stage in 2019, the Pharaohs have at least made the final in five of their last six AFCON appearances.