Sunderland teammates Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki will face each other in the African Cup of Nations this weekend

Sunderland midfielder Habib Diarra has cheekily suggested that teammate Noah Sadiki will be out to get “revenge” on when the two come up against each in the African Cup of Nations later this week.

Diarra linked up with Senegal in the aftermath of Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion - during which he made his first appearance for Regis Le Bris’ men since September - while Sadiki and fellow Black Cat Arthur Masuaku have been away on international duty with DR Congo since December 15th.

The two nations played each other in a World Cup qualifier earlier this year, with Senegal edging out the Leopards in a 3-2 victory. And Diarra is under no illusions that Sadiki will be eager to overturn that result when his side come up against DR Congo in the group stage of AFCON on Saturday afternoon at 3pm.

What did Habib Diarra say about Sunderland teammate Noah Sadiki?

In an interview with Sunderland’s official website, the club record signing said: “I’m confident because Senegal have a good squad but we stay humble. It’s one game after another. If you lose, it’s complicated. I think Senegal have a really good team. It’s a big squad. Everybody wants to win this AFCON and Senegal have to win. For me, they are the best team in Africa.”

On Saturday’s contest, he added: “It will be interesting match. The last game we played against each other it was for the World Cup and we won. I joked with him after but this could be the revenge for the Congo!”

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For his part, Sadiki is also eager to make history over the coming weeks, having already helped DR Congo to reach next year’s intercontinental play-offs for the FIFA World Cup. He said: “The last game [World Cup qualifier] brought us to a high level of confidence. Now, it’s full focus on the next three group games at the AFCON.

“We know what we can do and we showed some people that we can be more than a kick-and-rush team. We can play football as well. That’s the thing we were most criticised about but we responded well. We need to keep on going, it’s not over yet.”

“My responsibility is going to be a little bit higher than when I first arrived, especially now that I play in the Premier League. I know what I can expect from the people of Congo. I can’t disappoint them. I’m going to give my everything. If we all give our everything, it’s going to be good for the team and the country.”

On his upcoming meeting with Senegal, he continued: “I actually don’t want to be the first one to come home so I want to win against them. Especially against him [Diarra], I’m not going to say his name! But we want to win against everybody. Even though he is a teammate from the club, the internationals are my teammates!”

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