Ivory Coast 'coming to beat' Germany, says coach Emerse Fae

[p]Fae ‌signalled his team's intentions clearly when asked whether the four-times world champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]‌Germany[/a] were simply too big a hurdle for the 2023 ‌Africa Cup of Nations winners to clear [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/germany-ptQide1O/ivory-coast-G2FRjBgn/?mid=SMzorJsm"]in their Group E ‌clash in Toronto on Saturday[/a].[/p][p]"[b]We're not coming to watch ‌the Germans play. We're coming to beat them, we're coming to get that qualification for the second round[/b]," said Fae.[/p][p]"[b]But above all, we want ‌to go home after the game tomorrow ⁠to our base camp in ‌Philadelphia not only with our six points, but also the certainty ​that we'll finish top of the pack[/b]."[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ivory-coast/G2FRjBgn/"]Ivory Coast[/a] left it late in their group stage opener, with substitute [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/traore-amad/I5Rhq1WL/"]​Amad Diallo[/a] scoring a 90th-minute winner for a 1-0 victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ecuador/8tbm8Tri/"]Ecuador[/a], and the West Africans are now aiming to kick ⁠off a World ​Cup campaign with consecutive wins for the first time.[/p][image alt="Win probability" id="3c2a827a-942e-4a44-8133-7606d4bd66c0" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="e21e2298-e6e5-4a0e-b62d-80c3f05d30ea" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]By contrast, six players were on the scoresheet for Germany during their 7-1 crushing of debutants [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/curacao/bLLGpOkQ/"]Curacao[/a].[/p][p]Still, Fae said there are no plans to ‌change their approach, stressing instead that his squad have been working together for more than two years and are growing in confidence.[/p][p]"[b]We've been growing together, and it's not the eve of a game that we're going to change what we're used to[/b]," said Fae. "[b]We want to control the game, we want to play to our strengths, and we want to try and limit our weaknesses[/b].[/p][p]"[b]But we prepared for Germany like we prepared ‌for any other game[/b]."[/p][p]Fae, whose side have stomped their way ​to six clean sheets in their last 10 games, ‌also pushed back on the notion that being underdogs would weigh on his players.[/p][p]"[b]We weren't the favourites going into the game against Ecuador either[/b]," he said. "[b]We went in all guns blazing, and tomorrow we're playing against a strong team. ⁠We don't want to ⁠be thinking about being favourites. ‌It's about winning the game[/b]."[/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]