From the brink of a disastrous group-stage exit on home soil, Côte d'Ivoire rallied to go all the way at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and claim a third title, ending a nine-year wait for continental supremacy.

Emerse Fae was thrown into the thick of the action when Jean-Louis Gasset was sacked midway through the tournament, and the 40-year-old made history by becoming the first coach to win an international tournament after being appointed during the competition.

Since beating Nigeria in the AFCON final, Les Elephants have been involved in friendlies against Benin Republic and Uruguay, while also picking up four points from a possible six in World Cup qualifiers against Gabon and, most recently, Kenya.

Indeed, Fae's appointment has led to a turnaround in fortunes for Côte d'Ivoire, who are now on an eight-match unbeaten run, dating back to the 4-0 thrashing of Equatorial Guinea that put the final nail in Gasset's coffin as coach.

Côte d'Ivoire currently top their World Cup qualifying group and will be looking to get off to a winning start in the AFCON qualifiers as they seek to become the first team since Egypt to win back-to-back titles.

Zambia pulled off one of the biggest upsets in African football history when they were crowned champions of the 2012 AFCON, beating Côte d'Ivoire on penalties in the final.

Since then, however, the Chipolopolo have struggled on the continental front, failing to make it out of the group stages of the next two AFCON tournaments in 2013 and 2015, before failing to make it out of three consecutive tournaments between 2017 and 2021.

After finishing just above Côte d'Ivoire in the qualifiers, Avram Grant's men reached the last edition of the AFCON, where they suffered another early exit after picking up just two points from three matches.

Since then, Zambia have lost five of their six outings in all competitions, including their last three outings in the group stages of the COSAFA Cup in June.

In search of their first competitive win until November 2023, Friday's visitors will now prepare for a daunting task against their hosts, who will be keen to avenge a 3-0 defeat the last time the two sides met.

Ivory Coast possible starting lineup:

Fofana; Operi, Ndicka, Boly, Singo; Sangare, Kessie, Seri; Adingra, Haller, Diallo

Zambia possible starting lineup:

Mulenga; Mphande, L Musonda, Sunzu, Chongo; Chaiwa, Kangwa, Banda; K Musonda, Lubamba, Chilufya

Prediction:Ivory Coast 2-0 Zambia

Ivory Coast VS Zambia stream and TV listing

International：Holasports