Ivory Coast coach Ibrahim Kamara has warned his players they cannot afford to make mistakes if they are to find a way past Mali and reach the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals.
The sides meet in Suez on Monday with a place in the last eight at stake, and are only too aware of the price of failure.
Kamara said at his pre-match press conference: “We know that if we don’t win, we’re out. We’ll have to be focused because any mistake could cost a lot.”
Twice winners of the competition, Ivory Coast qualified for the knockout phase as runners-up in Group D, and their reward is a showdown with the unbeaten winners of Group E.
However, Mali coach Mohamed Magassouba said: “What happened in the past doesn’t matter. What matters is the next game.
“We want to make history. In order to do that, we need humility and self-sacrifice. We want people in Mali to be happy.”
