DR Congo captain Youssouf Mulumbu has confidence in his side’s ability to surpass expectations at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) which is scheduled to start on June 21.
The Leopards ended third in 2015 before failing to make it past the quarter-finals two years ago in Gabon.
Mulumbu believes the two-time African champions can exceed pre-Afcon predictions and even win the biennial showpiece, consequently claiming their third African crown.
"We missed a bit of what it takes at the last tournament in 2017 and we've worked hard on some of it during qualification," Mulumbu told BBC Sport.
"If we can correct a little bit of what is missing we can go all the way to the final and even win it.
"I sound very confident because we've been together as a group for a while now.
"In tournaments like this, all the little details matter and we have a highly experienced coach [Florent Ibenge] on our side."
Ibenge’s side arrived in Egypt on Monday following two draws in their warm-up games against Burkina Faso and Kenya.
The Leopards will seek to claim the African crown for the first time since 1974.
They have been drawn in Group A and will begin their Afcon journey against Uganda on June 22, thereafter playing hosts Egypt and Zimbabwe on June 26 and June 30, respectively.
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