AFCON 2025: Quarterfinal spot up for grabs as Algeria take on DR Congo
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Reading Time: 4min | Tue. 06.01.26. | 12:24
The last meeting between the two nations was in a friendly match in 2019 which ended in a 1-1 draw
A place in the last eight of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will be at stake when Algeria faces the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Round of 16 contest will be staged at the Stade Prince Moulay Hassan from 7 pm (East African Time).
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Algeria qualified for the round of 16 after emerging as Group E winners with a 100% record in the group phase.
The Desert Foxes opened the campaign with a 3-0 victory over Sudan, before securing a 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso.
They completed the group stage with a 3-1 win over Equatorial Guinea.
The Leopards, on the other hand, finished second in Group D with 7 points.
They began the campaign with a 1-0 win over Benin, held Senegal to a 1-1 draw and concluded the group phase with a 3-0 victory over Botswana.
Today's evening clash will be the third time the two nations will be meeting at the AFCON finals.
They first met in the group stage of the 1998 edition, where Algeria secured a 1-0 win courtesy of a 36th-minute strike by Abdelkader Ferhaoui- and later at the 2000 edition, where they battled out to a barren draw in the group stage.
Overall, the two teams have met seven times.
Algeria have won three of those encounters, while DR Congo are yet to taste victory in this fixture as the other four matches ended in stalemates.
The last meeting between the two nations was in a friendly match in 2019, where Algeria took the lead in the sixth minute through Islam Slimani, before Cedric Bakambu levelled the scores in the 26th minute as the teams settled for a 1-1 draw.
Algeria have enjoyed their best form in this edition, having scored seven goals in the group stage, their highest scoring tally in this phase since scoring 10 goals in the 1990 edition.
A win over DR Congo would give The Desert Foxes a fourth consecutive victory at the same edition for the third time, having secured five in the 1990 edition and their impressive seven wins when they lifted the trophy in 2019.
The Vladimir Petkovic-coached side will be seeking to make it to the quarter finals for the seventh time, having done so in the 1996, 2000, 2004, 2010, 2015 and 2019 editions.
In his pre-match press conference, Petkovic remained cautious of the threat posed by the Leopards.
"Congo is a well-built team, and you can clearly see the coach’s influence. Offensively, they are especially dangerous down the right side. They attack with a positive approach and strong momentum, and this is reflected in their results, both in the qualifiers and in knockout matches.
They may not be used to facing opponents of a certain caliber, but they are still capable of eliminating them,” said Petkovic.
DR Congo, on the other hand, have been improving tremendously over the past years, as for the second consecutive edition, they have completed the group stage unbeaten.
The Leopards have also qualified for the knockout phase for the fifth consecutive edition, marking their longest run of successive progression.
A win for DR Congo would mark their 10th appearance at the quarter finals, their last being in 2023.
Just like Algeria, DR Congo has one of the meanest defenses in the tournament, as they have conceded a goal in the tournament.
While they have not won any of their last seven, the Sebastian Desabre-coached outfit will fancy their chances against Algeria, with the attacking duo of Gael Kakuta and Cedric Bakambu expected to lead the hunt for goals.
Speaking to the press ahead of the match, Desabre explained his side's approach to the highly anticipated clash.
"These are high-stakes matches, since a place in the quarter-finals is at stake against a very good African team. For us, we are happy because it helps us continue to improve in match preparation. It will also give us a lot of experience in managing this kind of game.
For us, we keep going; we do not feel any extra pressure. In Congo, we are used to having high pressure in matches. The players know this, and we actually like it," he said.
Tuesday Fixtures
19.00: (2.00) Algeria (3.35) DR Congo (4.00)
22.00: (1.90) Ivory Coast (3.40) Burkina Faso (4.30)
***odds are subject to change***
