Head coach of Ivory Coast Emerse Fae says his outfit will not focus solely on Egypt star Mohammed Salah ahead of the crucial quarterfinals showdown.
The Elephants swept aside Burkina Faso with a clean 3-0 victory in the last 16 clash on Tuesday, setting up a fiery quarter-final clash with the Pharaohs on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
It promises to be a thrilling encounter, with both teams seeking for victory to secure a place in the semifinals of the continental showpiece.
Ahead of the match, Fae has stressed his outfit will focus on the entire Egyptian team and not only Mohammed Salah.
“Mohamed Salah is a great player, but we will be playing against the Egyptian national team. Salah will not be playing alone, so we will not focus on him alone. We will focus on the Egyptian team as a whole. And we hope that we can reach the semi-finals.”
“We don’t look at the opponent who stands in our way. We have a goal, and if we want to go to the finish line, we have to be able to face any team.”
While Ivory Coast seeks to defend the AFCON title in Morocco, the Egyptian national team intend to secure their eighth AFCON title in history.
