Senegal captain Cheikhou Kouyate says his side will not be motivated by revenge when they came up against Algeria in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations final.
The Teranga Lions will look to win their first Nations Cup, and the Fennec Foxes their second when the teams clash at the Cairo International Stadium tomorrow night.
However, it will not be the first meeting between the heavyweights at this tournament, as they traded blows in a group stage match back in late June.
On that occasion, Algeria claimed a 1-0 win at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo thanks to a goal from Youcef Belaili – the first sign that the North Africans were serious contenders.
The narrative of avenging this defeat has been spoken of in regards to Algeria’s ambitions, but Kouyate insists this is not the case.
“It wouldn’t be about revenge as we are going there to play and win and we will not come into the game with a revengeful spirit. We are hoping to give our all to win the cup,” Kouyate told SeneWeb.
“We have been working hard to win the ultimate trophy, and on the D-Day, we are going to show it.
“What we want is make our own history, bring joy to our families and all Senegalese and for that, we are ready to give our best. Even if the match was going to be played [on Thursday] we are ready.”
The skipper admits the team will miss suspended defender Kalidou Koulibaly, but backs whoever will take his place to do the job at hand.
“Kalidou is a great player, a key player for the team. We would have loved to play the final with him, but, now, like I always say, we are a group of 23 players and all of them are capable of representing our country,” concluded the versatile player.