"The Ivory Coast national team in Morocco's city of Agadir on Friday, held its final training session in Adrar stadium ahead of a crucial Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final match against Egypt set for Saturday. Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Ivorian player Odilon Kossounou stated, "We understand that tomorrow's match against Egypt is crucial. We need to maintain that level of performance and keep the same winning mentality to secure a victory." Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae reflected on facing his Egyptian counterpart, Hossam Hassan, two decades ago when both were players. "It always makes me laugh and brings me joy," Fae said. "It is a bit unusual that we meet again tomorrow in the quarter-finals, but this time as coaches." "He (Hossam Hassan) comes into this match with a one-goal advantage, so my clear objective is to level the score tomorrow and advance the team to the semi-finals," he added. On the team's physical readiness, Fae confirmed, "We did what was necessary to ensure every player is fully fit and available". Ivory Coast advanced to the last eight with a 3–0 victory over Burkina Faso, while Egypt secured their spot with a 3–1 win against Benin. The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is being hosted by Morocco and runs from December 21 to January 18."