DR Congo head coach Sebastien Desabre has revealed their intention to face Egypt and Mohamed Salah in their Round of 16 fixture of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Congo will face the Pharaohs at Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro and the winner will book a date to face either Equatorial Guinea or Guinea in the quarter-finals.

However, Egypt will face the Congo team minus their talisman and captain Salah, who was injured during their 2-2 draw against Ghana in the group stages and has since returned to Liverpool.

“We would have liked to face Mohamed Salah. He is a legend, an icon, and a great example in Egypt,” said Desabre, adding: “However, the Egyptian national team has many options, and distinguished players who have shown a strong reaction in his absence.”

On coming up against Egypt, he said: “My players know what is expected of them, both individually and collectively, and they are ready for it. Egypt conceded six goals and played in three different ways. We will work on exploiting their defensive vulnerabilities.”