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Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae has revealed one reason why it would be difficult for them to win the Africa Cup of Nations title on Sunday against Nigeria.

The Super Eagles and the Elephants will clash at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in what is expected to be a high-octane encounter.

Fae believes Ivory Coast are already under pressure because they are the hosts and that could make it difficult for them to emerge as winners.

Just like the Super Eagles, the hosts did not have a dream start into this competition but surprisingly made their way to the final and are on the verge of winning what would be their third AFCON title on home soil.

“We have a great opportunity to keep the trophy at home. We know that when you organize a tournament, it is difficult to go on and win it.

“We have made the final, we have the opportunity to achieve this feat and at the same time, add a third star to the orange jersey of Ivory Coast,” Fae said.

Peseiro confident

On his part, Nigeria’s Peseiro said he believes in his players’ abilities to beat their West African rivals.

“I learned tremendously here. There is joy when you win but difficulty when you lose, so it is very important to find a balance. We have a great squad of players that really want to win this for Nigeria.

“Some are newcomers to the squad but have played in other competitions. Football brings a lot of emotion, more than any sport, and this is important for Nigeria,” Peseiro said.

Should Ivory Coast win, they will equal Nigeria’s record of three AFCON titles.