AFCON 2015: Date, Time, Live Stream for Equatorial Guinea vs. DR Congo

DR Congo and hosts Equatorial Guinea will meet in the third-place play-off of AFCON 2015 on Saturday in Malabo.

Neither team was expected to do much at this year's tournament but surprised everyone by making a deep run to the semi-finals. Ivory Coast and Ghana both proved to be a touch too strong for either side, however, setting up an interesting fixture on Saturday.

Themba Hadebe/Associated Press

DR Congo looked shaky defensively throughout the tournament but boast the tremendous attacking duo of Dieumerci Mbokani and Yannick Bolasie, while Javier Balboa once again proved he might be the most underrated African footballer around right now for the hosts.

The match was in danger of being cancelled following fan unrest during the fixture between Ghana and the Leopards, but CAF announced on Friday the match would, in fact, be played in front of fans in Malabo. 

With so much attacking firepower on the pitch, Saturday's clash promises to be a good one.

Date: Saturday, February 7

Time: 4 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET

Venue: Estadio de Malabo, Equatorial Guinea

TV info and live stream: The match will be broadcast on British Eurosport 2 (for UK viewers), with mobile coverage available via the Eurosport Player and beIN SPORTS Connect (for U.S. viewers).

Preview

Sunday Alamba/Associated Press

DR Congo entered the tournament as "lucky losers," the best third-placed team after qualifiers, and Florent Ibenge's squad didn't carry much expectations going into this year's AFCON.

Three draws in the group stages were enough to see the Leopards through over Cape Verde, and the squad followed that up with an emphatic 4-2 win over Congo. A brief flicker of hope in the form of a Mbokani penalty was soon dashed by tournament favourites Ivory Coast, however, ending DR Congo's bid for the title.

Themba Hadebe/Associated Press

The Leopards are built around the attacking duo of Mbokani and Bolasie, who have both impressed tremendously during this year's AFCON. As shared by Soccer-Laduma's Joe Crann, the duo entered the match against Ivory Coast as leaders when it came to key passes:

DR Congo rely on pace and the movement of their attacking duo to get past their opponents. Coach Florent Ibenge asks his squad to keep enough players inside their own half to mask their defensive issues before breaking into the open spaces out wide.

Bolasie in particular is a perfect fit with his dribbling ability, while Mbokani times his runs into the box perfectly and is usually in position to meet incoming crosses.

Themba Hadebe/Associated Press

Balboa leads Equatorial Guinea both on and off the pitch, and it was no surprise the Spain-born midfielder scored both goals to help the hosts get past Tunisia in the quarter-finals. The 29-year-old recently opened up about life in Equatorial Guinea before he came to the country in 2007, per Goal's Brian Oliver:

"

I’ve always felt very loved here since I first played.

They (his parents) went for a better life - for any life.

Lots of people fled. It was difficult, and we had to leave. My parents didn’t like to talk about what happened with my granddad’s brother. It was very sad. I never had a chance to come here [before 2007].

My father's family likes football and my mother's brother played for Albacete, so from childhood I was always close to football.

"

The Lightning weren't supposed to survive the group stages, only gaining entry into the tournament because Morocco refused to host this year's AFCON out of fears over the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

But guided by Balboa, Equitorial Guinea shocked everyone, beating Tunisia in controversial fashion, via BBC Sport, before their semi-final loss against Ghana. Both matched were marred by violence, via the Guardian's Nick Ames, which has unfortunately overshadowed a magical run for the hosts.

Themba Hadebe/Associated Press

The Lightning are short on talent but have plenty of heart and the vocal support of the home crowd. Balboa runs proceedings in midfield—if the Estoril Praia ace can be rendered useless by a defensive pivot, the hosts have nobody capable of taking over the match and providing a creative outlet.

That should be the main priority for DR Congo, who can lie deep and let the Lightning come to them. With Mbokani dropping slightly deeper than usual and marking Balboa, there should be plenty of opportunities for Bolasie to use his pace on the counter-attack, catching Equatorial Guinea out of position.

Score prediction: Equatorial Guinea 0-2 DR Congo

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