Senegal captain Cheikhou Kouyate has urged his side to be at their best to avoid being stunned when they take on Benin in the quarter-final of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tomorrow.

The Squirrels have enjoyed a good outing in the competition, reaching the last eight for the first time in their history, after eliminating Morocco in the Round of 16.

The Crystal Palace man, who is delighted with the Teranga Lions’ progress in the tournament, has warned his side against underrating Michel Dussuyer’s men.

“What we note here is we have qualified for the next round which is the quarter-finals. I am happy. We will prepare for that game,” Kouyate told Goal.

“If you want to win you have to play very well to show that you deserved to reach this stage of the competition.

“In today’s football there are no small teams, we are going to prepare well for the game [against Benin].”

Senegal will hope to surpass their performance in the 2017 edition, where they were eliminated in the quarter-final stages.

The Teranga Lions have never won the Africa Cup of Nations.