*Undated
Algeria is set to lock horns with Ivory Coast in a match that will determine who gets to proceed to the knockout stages and who gets to exit the prestigious tournament.
The match is set to take place at the Douala Stadium on Thursday January 20th.
Having failed to win any of their opening two games, Algeria need all three points to stand a chance of making it to the round of 16, while a share of the spoils will see the Elephants through to the next phase.
Match preview:
Ivory Coast were denied a second straight win in Group E and an early ticket to the last 16 on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw with a resilient Sierra Leone side.
With four wins from two games, Ivory Coast currently sit at the summit of Group E, one point above second-place Equatorial Guinea and need just a draw to seal their place in the knockout stages of the tournament.
The Elephants head into Thursday's game unbeaten in all but one of their last 14 games in all competitions, picking up nine wins and four draws in that time.
Meanwhile, Algeria's chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations suffered a huge blow last time out when they fell to a shock 1-0 defeat against Equatorial Guinea.
Despite seeing 69% of the ball possession and being on the front foot for most of the game, Algeria failed to convert their dominance into goalscoring opportunities as Esteban Orozco scored in the 70th minute to hand the National Thunder all three points.
Prior to that, Algeria were on a blistering run of 26 games without defeat, picking up 19 wins and seven draws, including a 0-0 draw with Sierra Leone in their AFCON opener last Tuesday.
The Greens, who came into Cameroon on the back of their Arab Cup triumph and also as reigning AFCON champions, now risk a shock group-stage exit from the tournament as they sit rock-bottom in the group with one point from two outings.
A major factor behind their sloppy start to the tournament has been the lack of sting at the attacking end of the pitch as Djamel Belmadi's men are one of just three sides yet to find the target so far.
Ivory Coast Africa Cup of Nations form:WD
Ivory Coast form (all competitions):WWWLWD
Algeria Africa Cup of Nations form:DL
Algeria form (all competitions):WWWWD
Injury Updates:
Eric Bailly picked up a slight knock which saw him make way for Odilon Kossounou in the aforementioned game and the Manchester United defender is a doubt for the Elephants.
Meanwhile, given the stakes of the game, Belmadi could bring a few changes at the attacking end of the pitch as Algeria are yet to register a goal at the tournament despite their star-studded frontline.
Algeria's Djamel Benlamri was forced off the pitch nine minutes after the interval through an injury against the National Thunder and the veteran defender is a major doubt for Thursday's clash.
Should the Qatar SC man fail to recover in time for the game, 31-year-old Mehdi Tahrat could come into the fold for his first starting appearance of the tournament.