Hosts Equatorial Guinea, who exceeded many expectations to reach the last four, face the Democratic Republic of Congo Saturday night in the third place play-off match in Malabo.

The hosts, appearing only in their second Nations Cup finals tournament, steadily progressed from Group A where they opened the tournament with a draw against Congo, followed by another draw against Burkina Faso. An impressive 2-0 win over neighbours Gabon ushered into the last eight where they dramatically edged out 2004 winners Tunisia 2-1 after extra time.

However the Black Stars overpowered them in a semi-final marred by crowd trouble. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive committee announced that Equatorial Guinea were being fined $100,000 after violent scenes in their 3-0 semi-final defeat to Ghana.

Coach Esteban Becker has urged his players to keep their heads up and fight for the pride of their country.

DRC, coach Florent Ibenge has also urged his players to get out and end the tournament on a high note by finishing third.