Cote d’Ivoire have said they wish to finally be crowned champions of Africa and are not taken in by the tag of favourites.
“We have always been tagged as favourites for this tournament, but we have not won it since then. This time we want to win it,” said Saint Etienne midfielder, Max Gradel.
“That would be great for our country because it was a big blow when we lost last year’s final. But good enough the new competition has come quickly and we now want to go on to win the trophy.”
The Elephants have only won the Nations Cup once in 1992 but since 2006, they have finished at least in the top four and were beaten in the final seven years ago in Egypt, as well as, last year by Zambia.
Gradel praised today’s quarterfinal foes Nigeria, saying they respect the Super Eagles.
“They have a very strong squad with some good players. There is the goalkeeper (Vincent Enyeama) and an experienced centre back (Joseph Yobo). We respect them, but we’re not scared of them,” he remarked.
“We want to win and every player is focused and confident. And we will start with the game on Sunday and hopefully go all the way to the final.”
The Saint Etienne star also praised Coach Sabri Lamouchi for “bringing a new spirit to the team”.
“The coach has brought a new spirit and a new way of doing things. The players respect each other, fight for each other and give everything on the pitch,” he said.