Some of football’s biggest stars will showcase their skills when the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) gets underway in Ivory Coast on January 13.
Record AFCON winners Egypt, led by their talismanic captain Mohamed Salah, will look for their eighth title. Morocco will hope their superb display at the last World Cup will translate into continental success, while Victor Osimhen will aim to replicate his club form and lead Nigeria to glory.
Based on their current rankings and form, Sporting Tribune has the following as AFCON favourites:
Senegal
Senegal are the defending champions and boasts of a host of talented and experienced players.
While the likes of Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy provide the much-needed experience, the emergence of Chelsea’s striker, Nicolas Jackson, Pape Matar Sarr and the often-reliable Ismalai Sarr will give enough bite.
Egypt
Egypt is a legendary AFCON team with the most tournament trophies. Egypt has won it more times than any other nation.
Egpyt’s place among the favourites rests solely on the shoulders of one of Africa’s best Mohammed Salah.
Despite his overwhelming club success, the forward’s commitment to his country is unwavering but he will need to inspire all the support he can get – from a team that is far from star-studded – if the king is to achieve the crowning glory of an AFCON title.
Mohamed Elneny a bit-part midfielder at Arsenal and Al Ittihad’s Ahmed Hegazy is the other name of note.
Egypt can, however, point to their appearance in the final of the last tournament – and their route to reach the showpiece game after overcoming Ivory Coast, Morocco and Cameroon.
Ivory Coast
As the host country, Ivory Coast was granted automatic advancement to the championship round. They have won the competition twice.
The hosts cannot be ruled out as contenders but the decision not to select Galatasaray’s Wilfred Zaha in attack will hang heavily over the team if results go against the team.
Nicolas Pepe, a club record signing for Arsenal in 2019, will shoulder the weight of expectation.
After only 16 goals in 80 appearances for the Gunners, the forward switched to the Turkish league and Trabzonspor via a loan spell in France with Nice.
Meanwhile, Sebastion Haller has yet to find the net in 15 matches this season for Borussia Dortmund who have slipped to fifth in the league.
The team is short of the superstar status it had in the days of Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure.
Perhaps this is the moment for the next generation, on home soil, to step forward but a dark-horse tag feels closer to the truth than that of one of the favourites.
Nigeria
Nigeria is one of the most successful teams in African Cup of Nations history, with three titles. In recent years, the national team has seen significant contributions from players like Victor Osimhen.
The Nigerian team has all of the necessary components to emerge victorious from the African Cup of Nations. The Nigerian team are clear AFCON favourites for 2024.
Iwobi, formerly of Arsenal and Everton, will be joined in the squad by Fulham teammate, Calvin Bassey – the full-back was named player of the match in the Premier League win against Arsenal on December 31.
The loss to injury of Wilfred Ndidi from the midfielder cannot be overstated. The fact they can turn to yet another European top-flight club to call up a replacement in Royal Antwerp’s Alhassan Yusuf could soften the blow.
It’s in attack where Nigeria will be expected to light up the tournament with Victor Osimhen in particular.
The striker was Serie A’s leading scorer last season as he led Napoli to their first league title since Diego Maradona became the darling of Naples in 1990.
The recently crowned African Footballer of the Year will be joined up front by anyone of of Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho, AC Milan’s Samuel Chukwueze, Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman and Ahmed Musa.
Morocco
The Morocco Team, aka the Atlas Lions, are the red-hot favourites after their historic run at the Qatar World Cup 2022.
The North African nation became the first-ever team from the continent to qualify for the semifinals in Qatar, where they were beaten by France.
By defeating Spain and Portugal in the knockout stages, the Atlas Lions had already made their own history in reaching the quarterfinal stage.
Morocco’s manager Walid Regragui has been quite clear that his team’s task now is to prove that Qatar was no fluke by winning the AFCON title.
Paris St Germain defender Achraf Hakimi and Chelsea winger, on loan at Galatasaray, Hakim Ziyech remain the star attractions. Sofyan Amrabat’s efforts in Qatar did not go unnoticed either, with Manchester United agreeing a season-long loan from Fiorentina to sign a permanent deal.
Bayern Munich’s Noussair Mazraoui and Romain Saiss of Al Shabab along with Hakimi form the tournament’s best defence.
Cameroon
Cameroon come into AFCON 2023 with selection headaches, with Bryan Mbuemo out injured and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting not taken to Ivory Coast after reportedly being dropped for missing recent friendlies.
Goalkeeper André Onana has missed the entire preparation for the tournament as well and will likely be unavailable for this game after Cameroon agreed to let him stay with Manchester United to play against Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. Fabrice Ondoa has deputised between the sticks and will probably do so against Guinea.
Manager Rigobert Song will be looking to strike pair Vincent Aboubakar and Karl Toko Ekambi for inspiration. Aboubakar scored eight goals in the 2021 edition, just one behind the all-time tournament record held by Zaire’s Ndaye Mulamba in 1974 (nine).
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