Congo DR endured an up-and-down AFCON group stage campaign with three draws from as many games, but managed to book their place in the knockout stages, where they were knocked out in the last four by eventual champions and hosts Ivory Coast.

To make up for their absence in 2021, this was Les Leopards' best AFCON performance since 2015, when they secured a third-place finish after another semi-final exit at the hands of Ivory Coast.

Since their last continental outing, Sebastien Desabre's men have taken four points from two World Cup qualifiers to sit third in Group B, one point behind Senegal and three behind Sudan.

Unbeaten in front of their home fans since a 1-0 defeat to Gabon in June 2022, Congo DR will be looking to kick off their AFCON qualifying campaign on a winning note before travelling to Dar es Salaam to take on Ethiopia next Monday.

Friday's hosts will be keen to get the job done against an opponent who have lost each of the last five meetings between the two sides, dating back to 2005.

Guinea have enjoyed a positive start to the 2024 campaign, winning six of their 10 matches in all competitions since kicking off the year with a 2-0 friendly win over Nigeria in the run-up to the AFCON.

Guinea, then coached by Kaba Diawara, did well at the continental showpiece to reach the last eight, where they would meet Congo DR in early February.

It was only the second of three defeats for the Syli National so far this year, the first coming against Mozambique.

Prior to that, the Central Africans had been in devastating form at the top end of the pitch, scoring 13 goals in their previous three games, including an impressive 2-1 win over Algeria.

In his first game in charge since Diawara's sacking earlier this month, Charles Paquille will be hoping for an immediate response from his charges as they look to get their AFCON qualifying campaign back on track.

Congo DR possible starting lineup:

Bertaud; Masuaku, Mbemba, Tuanzebe, Kalulu; Kakuta, Moutoussamy, Akolo, Bongonda; Wissa, Elia

Guinea possible starting lineup:

Kone; Sylla, Sow, Diakite, Conte; Toure, Diawara, Cisse, Camara; Balde, Bayo

Prediction:Congo DR 2-1 Guinea

Congo DR VS Guinea stream and TV listing

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