African football powerhouses Egypt and Nigeria respectively enter Monday's last-16 games at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations against Benin and Mozambique as overwhelming favourites.
Egypt have won the trophy a record seven times and have been beaten finalists on three occasions since the inception of the Cup of Nations in 1957. Benin have reached the quarter-finals once in four previous visits to Africa's most prestigious national team football tournament.
"To go far, we need to stay focused and disciplined," said Egypt boss Hossam Hassan on the eve of the clash in Agadir on Monday.
"The match against Benin will be difficult," added the 59-year-old who won three Cup of Nations crowns with Egypt during his 21-year international career.
"They are a competitive, well-organised team, and we have the utmost respect for them."
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Gernot Rohr, Hassan's Benin counterpart, conceded his side would start the match at the Stade Adrar as underdogs.
"We're expecting an extremely difficult match against a top-level opponent, added the 72-year-old German.
"We've gained some experience against the big teams," Rohr said. "I hope it will help us rise to the occasion and give it our all.
Ambitions
"We know we are not the favourites. That doesn't mean we don't have the ambition to play well and to qualify."
Benin gained their first victory at a Cup of Nations in the pool game against Botswana.
"Winning that match gives the players confidence," added Rohr. "It gives the staff confidence but it doesn't make us feel like we've become someone else.
"We know where we come from. We know that our human resources are not the same as those of our opponents."
Pressure of coaching Nigeria 'on another level', says Chelle
Nigeria go into their last-16 clash at the Stade de Fes as one of only two teams at the 2025 tournament who waltzed through the pool stages with 100 percent records.
In their opening match, they beat Tanzania 2-1 and followed that up with a 3-2 success over Tunisia. For the final game in Group C, a side sporting several changes to the starting line-up saw off Uganda 3-1.
"Since I took the Nigeria job, I've been under pressure," said Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle.
"Game after game after game, we want to show our ambitions so we're only thinking about the game against Mozambique.
Milestone
"We've done a lot of good things to get to this point but we did some bad things too. We have analysed all of it and are trying to continue to improve."
While a team from Nigeria seeks a fourth continental crown, Mozambicans are savouring the knockout stages for the first time during their sixth visit to the competition.
"It is a historic milestone for us," said coach Chiquinho Conde.
"Of course, we are all very happy and satisfied. We are not even aware yet of the impact this has had on our society.
"We just have to keep playing for a country that is suffering. And now a country that has football as the opium of the people has this opportunity to be happy."
