January 22, (THEWILL) – The Ivory Coast national football team is hoping to have star striker Sebastien Haller back from an ankle injury for their final Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2024 group stage match on Monday.

Coach Jean-Louis Gasset said Haller’s return could provide a much-needed physical presence upfront after the host nation was out-muscled in their “very physical” 1-0 loss to Nigeria. The pressure is now on Ivory Coast, currently third in Group A with 3 points, to secure a result against Equatorial Guinea to ensure qualification for the knockout round.

Gasset said Haller, who missed the first two games, is progressing well in his recovery: “The medical team has been working day and night to get him ready.” If included in the squad, the tall Borussia Dortmund striker would give the Ivorian attacks an aerial threat that was lacking versus a sturdy 5-man Nigerian defence.

Gasset admitted his young and inexperienced squad struggled to cope with Nigeria’s physicality and defensive tactics on Thursday. “We didn’t feel like we could compete physically,” he said, citing multiple cleared chances from crosses into the box. A controversial VAR-awarded penalty allowed Nigeria to claim a smash-and-grab 1-0 victory for their first-ever competitive win on Ivorian soil.

The coach remained upbeat about his team’s chances, saying they were not necessarily inferior to Nigeria despite the loss. 2006 remains the last time a host nation won the AFCON title. With Haller potentially returning, Ivory Coast will be hopeful of avoiding an early exit and continuing that drought.