The African Cup Of Nations begins in six days’ time and the continent is looking forward to an exciting tournament ahead. This edition of the tournament is jointly being hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea with the competition opening up on the 21st January in Equatorial Guinea and ending on the 12th February with the final taking place in Gabon.
It is the first time that either of the two nations will be hosting the tournament and with two stadiums been used in each country, both Equatorial Guinea and Gabon have the same opportunity to show off their hosting capabilities. The joint bid between the nations beat off competition in the final bidding process from Nigeria, Angola and Libya. However Angola did get chosen to host the competition back in 2010, Libya will be hosting the event next year when the African Cup Of Nations switches to 'odd' years and Nigeria were put on stand-by to host any of the tournaments in case the chosen hosts were not prepared enough.
There are two stadiums being used in Gabon, one of which the Stade d'Angondjem, will host the final. It was purposely built for this African Cup Of Nations and has a capacity of around 40,000. It was used for the first time when Brazil beat Gabon in a friendly back in November 2011. The second Gabonese stadium being used is based in Franceville and this too was specifically built for Africa's premier football tournament, holding approximately 35,000 people.
Equatorial Guinea also contains two grounds hosting African Cup Of Nations games. The Estadio de Bata has had its capacity extended from 22,000 to 40,000 for the tournament and was built in 2007. It will host the opening ceremony and match as well as a semi-final game. The second stadium in Equatorial Guinea being used and the smallest out of all four of the competitions stadia is the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo. This ground hold 15,250 and will only stage group stage matches.
There are a number of nations that could be considered as African footballing heavy weights that failed to qualify for this African Cup Of Nations. Nigeria were left three points behind Guinea in their qualifying group and didn't qualify, North African country Algeria only managed third in their group and managed to finish behind both Morocco and more surprisingly the Central African Republic, Cameroon were second in group E behind Senegal, and both Egypt and South Africa didn't make it out of group G, the latter losing out on head to head record.
The fact that a number of established football nations haven't qualified for the tournament could make it either more or less open. With the likes of Cameroon, Nigeria and Egypt not participating may give lesser countries the opportunity to progress further in the competition and makes it more likely to lift the trophy. Tournament debutantes Equatorial Guinea, Niger and Botswana will be dreaming of glory in an open looking event.
However the fact that some tournament heavy weights haven't qualified may make the route to lifting the crown easier for the likes of the Ivory Coast and Ghana. There may be less competitive sides for traditionally strong African football nations to come up against and make the route to a possible final more comfortable. There may be short 'ish' odds for a final involving both the Black Stars and the 'Les' Elephants.
Group A:
Group A involves one of the favourites to lift the trophy Senegal, joint hosts Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Zambia.
Senegal:
Most will expect Senegal to win this group comfortably. They are arguably not as strong as the side that did so well in 2002 when getting to the final of the African Cup Of Nations and reached the quarter finals of the World Cup but still have a number of players plying their trade in competitive European leagues. They have Premier League players Armand Traore, Mohamed Diame and Demba Ba, a striker who has proved prolific for Newcastle United this season. Centre back Souleymane Diawara has being playing well for Marseille so far this season and striker Moussa Sow of Lille can contribute a few goals to the side. There are a number of Senegalese internationals playing in France that could prove crucial to how well the national team perform at these African Cup Of Nations.
Key Player – Demba Ba:
The Newcastle United forward has being in prolific form this season after making the switch from West Ham United last summer and has being linked with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and PSG in January. He has scored 15 goals in 21 appearances this term and if he can replicate this goal scoring in the African Cup Of Nations then Senegal may be in with a chance of lifting the trophy. The question may be whether or not Ba can get the service from the rest of the team for Senegal to go all the way in the tournament.
The Manager – Amara Traore:
Amara Traore is a relatively inexperienced manager. The 46 year old has only managed Senegalese side ASC Linguere before getting the manager’s job of his own country. He played for various clubs in France and will be hoping to guid this talented Senegal team to tournament success.
Prediction – Semi-Finals.
Equatorial Guinea:
Out of the other three sides in the group, all three of them can realistically aim to qualify in second place. Equatorial Guinea have never played in the finals of the competition but home advantage may really boost the team and see them qualify. A lot of their players play in Spain but only one of them is signed at a top flight Spanish club, 34 year old Bodipo, the nation’s captain who is on loan at Elche this season. Home support may see the side spurred on to qualify out of the group to the quarter finals at least.
Key Player – Bodipo:
He is a naturalised Equatorial Guinea citizen and the only of their players that plays for a slightly reputable club that the majority of football followers will have heard of. He is contracted to Deportivo De La Coruna but is currently on loan at Elche who plays in the second division of Spanish football. The 34 year old is likely to captain the home nation and they will be relying on his goals to fire them into the quarter final stage.
The Manager – Gilson Paulo:
The 62 year old is a Brazilian football coach but is relatively unknown to football fans outside of Brazil. He only took the managerial reigns of the host nation on the 2nd January this year and has been handed a two month contract. This means he has being contracted to take control of Equatorial Guinea for the African Cup Of Nations and will have his contract debated afterwards. He may well hope to get the joint hosts playing attractive passing football to see them progress to the knock out stages.
Prediction – Group Stages.
Libya:
Libya as a country went through huge transition last year and their football team have really done well to qualify for the tournament finals. The majority of their squad play their football in Libya and only one plays outside Africa, Djamal Mahamat is signed for Portuguese outfit Braga. They are probably the weakest team in the group and may well not finish in second but a couple of good performances could see the team squeeze through as group runners up.
Key Player – Djamal Mahamat:
Mahamat is a defensive midfielder who is contracted to Portuguese side Braga and is the only player in the Libyan national side who plays for a reputable club in Europe. He played amateur football in France for a number of years and didn’t make his professional debut until the 2006-2007 season when he played for Estoril in Portugal’s second division. Since then he has remained in Portugal and signed for Braga in the summer of 2011. He has played on nine occasions for Braga this season. Libya have done well to qualify for the finals of the tournament and if they have any chance of making out of the group stages then Mahamat will have to be running things for them in midfield.
The Manager – Marcos Bakita:
Bakita is another Brazilian manager at the African Cup Of Nations. He has worked in both Brazil and the Saudi Arabia and took over the Libyan managerial reigns in the summer of 2010 after been handed a four year contract. He has done really well to steer the nation to the finals and will be trying to excel Libya in the finals.
Prediction – Group Stages.
Zambia:
Zambia are my favourites to qualify behind Senegal in second. They have played at this level on numerous occasions before and will be relying on the experience the likes of Christopher Katongo and Collins Mbesuma to see them through. Senegal should top the group with most probably either joint hosts Equatorial Guinea or Zambia joining them, their clash on January 29th could prove pivotal.
Key Player – Collins Mbesuma:
The Zambian forward currently plays for South African club Golden Arrows where he has enjoyed a good goal scoring record for the club. Prior to his stint at this club he has played for the likes of Portsmouth, Maritimo on loan, and Burpaspor. He is 27 and had 36 caps for his country, scoring a total of 14 goals. Zambia are talented up front with the likes of Katongo and Mayuka at their disposal and they will be thinking these players can fire them far in the tournament.
Prediction – Quarter Finals.
Group B:
Group B contains the favourites to win this African Cup Of Nations Ivory Coast. 'Les' Elephants shouldn't have any trouble trying to qualify from a group also containing Angola, Burkina Faso and Sudan. In this group Ivory Coast will more than likely sweep all before them and finish top leaving Angola and Burkina Faso to play for second spot and Sudan to hope to scrape a couple of results together and be competitive.
Ivory Coast:
Ivory Coast have an array of stars that ply their trade in Europe's top leagues and at Europe's to clubs. There's Yaya and Kolo Toure at Manchester City, Gervinho playing for Arsenal, ex Gooner Emmanuel Eboue now at Turkish club Galatasaray, Didier Zokora who also plays in Turkey for Trabzonspor, Salamon Kalou who has a contract at Chelsea along with Didier Drogba, and hot prospect Seydou Doumbia. Only one of their current squad doesn't play in Europe and this is back up goalkeeper Daniel Yeboah. Ivory Coast often play with a very European flavour of football and find it easy to impose themselves and their game on the opposition. One thing that goes against the 'Elephants' is that their past records at African Cup Of Nations isn't the best but this time around there may well be no excuse if they fail to reach at least the final in Gabon.
Key Player – Yaya Toure:
There are a host of players that could be considered as key players for Ivory Coast. Yaya Toure has played for some of the best clubs in Europe such as Manchester City, and before them Barcelona. He is a great passer of the football and gets both his club and country playing passing football. He scores goals and is a great tackler, he is a complete all round midfielder and one of the best central midfielders in the world. An on form Yaya Toure is a very hard player to stop for an opposition.
The Manager – Francois Zahoui:
Zahoui is a relatively unknown manager but he took over the Ivory Coast back in 2010 after Sven Gora Eriksson left the manager’s post. The 49 year old is Ivorian and guided his country to the finals in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. He is not used to managing big name players before this job and the way he manages them in a tournament situation may be key as to whether the Ivory Coast win the tournament or not.
Prediction – Winner.
Angola:
Second placed in this group is open with Angola favourites to succeed in taking it. The Southern African country play with a great attacking freedom and after losing to Ghana in their home African Cup Of Nations two years ago will be hungry to prevail in the 28th tournament this time around. They have few house hold names with probably only Flavio and Manucho recognisable to a lot of football followers in Europe. The side will hope to draw on their experiences from the 2006 world cup to see them progress to at least the quarter final stages.
Key Player – Manucho:
Manucho is famous for plying his trade at English club Manchester United. The striker never really broke through and made a career in England and is now contracted to Spanish side Real Valladolid. He has not proved to be prolific for the Spanish side and has been loaned out to Turkish clubs Bucaspor and the loan club he is currently at Manisaspor. Manucho seems to excel himself when playing for his nation and the attacking style of Angola can help him to be a success in the 2012 edition of the African Cup Of Nations.
The Manager – Lito Vidigal:
Vidigal is relatively inexperienced and is 42 years of age. A defender when playing, he took over the Angola team in January of last year after spells managing Angolan clubs. He is a talented manager and will be hoping to guide this vibrant Angolan team far in the tournament.
Prediction – Semi Finals
Burkina Faso:
Burkina Faso are not too far behind Angola in footballing strength and would too hope to qualify to the quarter finals. They have experience of playing in seven previous African Cup Of Nations tournaments. They too don't have too many house hold names but a large proportion of their squad do play in European leagues. Bakary Kone is at Lyon, Charles Kabore plays for Marseille and Alain Traore for Auxerre to name a few. They are a youthful squad who will see this tournament as a good experience with a chance of claiming second place.
Key Player – Charles Kabore:
Kabore plays for French Ligue 1 club Marseille, a side that also regularly play in the Champions League. He is a midfielder who is 23 years old and has 20 caps for Burkina Faso. His nartion will be hoping that him and the likes of Alain Traore will be influential enough in games from midfield to see them progress from the group.
The Manager – Paulo Duarte
Duarte is a 42 year old Portuguese football manager. He has being in charge of Burkina Faso since 2008 and was in charge to see them qualify for this year’s African Cup Of Nations. He has experience of managing French club Le Mans, which he did whilst being in charge of Burkina Faso in 2009. He is one of the longest serving African nation managers and knows how to manage the African side. He may have a chance of progressing in second in this group, probably at the expense of Angola.
Sudan:
Sudan are very much the outsiders in group B. They qualified back in 2008 but before then they had not qualified for the finals since 1976. The current side finished second in qualifying behind Ghana and in front of Congo and Swaziland. They are not expected to progress very far in the competition and will look forward to gaining experience from playing the likes of the Ivory Coast in tournament football.
Key Player – Haitham Mustafa:
The 34 year old is a legend of Sudanese football. He has played for the Sudan club Al-Hilal since 1995 and is captain of his country. If Sudan are to pick up any points in the tournament they will require him to keep things tight and composed in midfield.
The Manager – Mohamed Abdalla Ahmed:
The manager has being in charge of Sudan in 2008 and this time around took charge in 2010. He did well to lead the side to the 2012 finals.
Group C:
Group C could arguably be the most open and competitive out of all four groups. It contains joint hosts Gabon, North African nations Morocco and Tunisia, and Niger. The two northern African countries are possibly favourites to top the group but the co-hosts will have something to say about this.
Morocco:
Morocco's squad contains a number of players playing in top flights European leagues. Marouane Chamakh and Adel Taarabt play for Arsenal and Queens Park Rangers respectively and will be familiar to football fans in the UK along with Celtic's Badr El Kaddouri. Captain Houssine Khjara is signed at Fiorentina, Mehdi Benatia at fellow Italian team Udinese, and Youssouf Hadji at Ligue 1 club Rennes. Morocco has not had huge success in recent years but I would predict the Lions of the Atlas may have a successful African Cup Of Nations.
Key Player – Adel Taarabt:
The QPR midfielder is a real match winner on his day. He hasn’t being performing too well in the Premier League this season but last season he was one of the main reasons that the club got promoted from the Championship. Taarabt is a hit and miss player, he can go missing in games and then can produce as piece of magic to win a match from nowhere. The midfielder is one of the reasons that Morocco are in with a shout of winning this tournament.
The Manager – Eric Gerets:
Gerets is a well-known manager who has managed various clubs around Europe. The Belgian, who was a right back during his playing career, has managed the likes of Club Brugge, PSV Eindhoven, Wolfsburg, Galatasaray and Marseille. Gerets is a good manager who is capable of managing big name players but this is his first national team role so is not used to tournament football at a national level.
Prediction – Semi Finals.
Tunisia:
Fellow northern Africans Tunisia will also harbour hopes of topping group C and playing a second placed team. They hosted and won the tournament back in 2004 and will be hoping for similar success this time around. Most of the Tunisian squad play in their home country, a league that is one of the strongest in Africa. The fact that a lot of the nation’s squad play for a select few clubs in Tunisia means that the squad can sometimes have a club feel about it. The game between Morocco and Tunisia on the 23rd January and the first match day could determine who tops this group.
Key Player – Karim Haggui
Haggui is a defender who plays for Hannover in Germany and is extremely experienced at international level with 62 caps at the age of 27. He has played for Strasbourg and Bayer Leverkusen in terms of European clubs before his current club and he may be a crucial player for Tunisia and their chances of qualifying from a close looking grouop.
The Manager – Sami Trabelsi:
Trabelsi is a manager who has only really got managerial experience at managing the Tunisian side. The 43 year old was a centre back during his playing career and is experienced at managing Tunisia but has never been a club manager.
Prediction – Quarter Final
Gabon:
Morocco and Tunisia may be favourites to top group C but Gabon won't be ruling themselves out of the running to finish in first placed. They are the stronger of the two joint hosts and will have home support during the tournament backing them to progress. I'm sure the stadiums in Gabon will be full to capacity when they play and this could possibly give them a crucial edge over the other three sides in the group. They didn't do too badly when coming up against Brazil in a recent friendly even if the South Americans didn't have a full strength team out. Some of their squad play abroad such as in Europe but their most famous player is ex Rangers striker Daniel Cousin who knows plays for Gabonese club Sapins. It will be a close call between Gabon, Morocco and Tunisia for who qualifies for the next stage and it will almost definitely go down to the final round of group matches.
Key Player – Daniel Cousin:
Cousin is probably the most famous Gabonese football player at the moment. He has only ever scored eight goals from 26 appearances at national level but has performed well and scored for many of his clubs. Playing around Europe at the likes of Le Mans, RC Lens and Rangers, he has the potential to be a catalyst and spearhead to fire them out of the group stages. Gabon will be relying on him to be performing to see them pick up some points.
The Manager – Gernot Rohr
The 58 year old German is in his first ever national team role which he was handed back in February of 2010. He has had a decent amount of time to mould and stamp his authority on the Gabon team and the side should be very well prepared for their home African Cup Of Nations tournament. He has experience with the likes of Bordeaux, losing with them in the 1996 UEFA Cup final, Nice, and Young Boys. He will need to do well to deliver a very good performance for the nation at the competition.
Prediction – Group Stage.
Niger:
The weakest side in group C will be Niger. They are ranked 97 in the FIFA rankings and the majority of their players play in leagues around the African continent. It will be their first appearance in the finals of the African Cup Of Nations and will be there to gain experience of playing at this level rather than expecting to progress from group C. Progressing from the group will probably be fought between the other three nations.
Key Player – Ouwo Moussa Maazou:
Maazou has quite a lot of experience playing in European leagues. He is currently at Belgian side Zulte Waregem from Russian team CSKA Moscow and has been on loan at various clubs in the past from CSKA Moscow including Lokeren, Monaco, Bordeaux, and then Monaco again. The 23 year old striker has a good ration playing for Niger, scoring 6 goals in 12 appearances, a goal every other game. It will be a tough ask for Niger to qualify from the group and they will possibly have to have Maazou scoring goals for them to have a chance.
The Manager – Harouna Doula Gabde:
Gabde has seen Niger do really well to qualify for the finals and the team can really only expect to gain experience from playing in the tournament. It is quite unlikely for Niger to be making it out of Group C.
Prediction – Group Stage.
Group D:
Group D is where you will find second favourites to lift the trophy Ghana who are joined by Mali, Guinea and Botswana. Ghana should really be qualifying from this group with qualification also up for grabs between Guinea and Mali.
Ghana:
Ghana have a great chance of triumphing in the tournament. The Black Stars have an array of talent in their squad including Marseille's Jordan and Andre Ayew, Al-Ain's loan player from Sunderland Asamoah Gyan, Lyon's John Mensah, Udiene's Badu, Inter's Sulley Muntari, Frankfurt's Manchester City loanee Mohammed Abu, and Dnipro's highly rated youngster Samuel Inkoom. Chelsea's Michael Essien would also be in the squad if it wasn't for his recent injury. They have had a number of youngsters break into the national set up in recent years after the success of some of their youth sides and this has really helped the national squad. They have won the African Cup Of Nations four times but not since 1982 and did well to reach the quarter finals of the world cup in South Africa back in 2010. Big things are expected of Ghana in this tournament and I expect them to go far in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Key Player – Andre Ayew:
Andre Ayew plays for French and Champions League club Marseille. He is a player that can play either in the centre of midfield or on the wing, particularly the left. He is a key player for both his club and country and has already accumulated 32 caps for Ghana despite only been 22 years of age. Ayew excelled at Ghana youth level and was part of the very successful Ghana U20 side. He is sure to play a pivotal role in getting Ghana far in this tournament and possibly could attract clubs in England if he has a good tournament in Africa.
The Manager – Goran Stevanovic:
The 45 year old Serb took charge of Ghana in January of 2011 so will have been in charge for around a year when the competition begins this January. He has managed FK Partizan in the past and has experience at national level having been the assistant with Serbia and Montenegro before. Serbia and Montenegro are now separate nations when playing football. He had had time to get used to his players and with a lot of the players playing in Europe, the Serb knows how to play with a European style. Ghana could well go on to win this tournament.
Prediction – Runner Up.
Mali:
Mali are the second strongest team in the group and will full expect to qualify. They are experienced at this level and an extraordinary number of their players play in the top flight in France which can only help the unity of their squad. Frederic Kanoute is no longer in their national squad but they still have players that could have an impact in the tournament, in particular Barcelona central midfielder Seydou Keita, a player that regularly gets into the Barcelona midfield along with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas. Mali may rely too heavily on Keita but if he is supported by the rest of the squad considerably then Mali could get through to the quarter final stage and possibly even further.
Key Player – Seydou Keita:
The Barcelona midfielder is a key player for Mail and will be essential in both stopping and creating moves in midfield. He is a great passer of the football, proved by the fact that he warrants a place in the Barcelona midfield, and is very good at sitting in front of the defence and breaking up opposition moves with his tackling. He will need to be on top form for Mali to go really far in the African Cup Of Nations. He is used to playing with world class players at his club and this can only help the Mali team.
The Manager – Alain Giresse:
Giresse is a very well-known manager. In his playing career he played for both Bordeaux and Marseille and the French person won French footballer of the year in 1982, 1983 and 1987. He has a lot of experience at international level after been the manager of Georgia and Gabon before Mail. Giresse has also managed the likes of Toulouse and PSG in France and he could guide the Mali team to a decent tournament.
Prediction – Quarter Final.
Guinea:
Guinea (not to be confused with the hosts Equatorial Guinea) may also hope to get through to the quarter finals and it may be between them and Mali for second placed. The two meet each other on the first match day on the 24th January and this match may prove to be crucial. Guinea has few famous players but will hope to be there or there about when it comes to qualifying for the quarter final stage. They have never qualified for a world cup but between the years of 2004 and 2008 they reached three consecutive African Cup Of Nations quarter finals and they will be hoping to do the same again this time around.
Key Player – Ismael Bangoura:
Bangoura is relatively experienced at international level with 42 caps and 12 goals. He currently plays for Dubai located club Al Nasr SC and in the past some of his former clubs include Le Mans, Dynamo Kiev, where he regularly played Champions League football, and Rennes. If Guinea are to get in the top two in this group then Bangoura could do with been in top form up front for Guinea.
The Manager – Michel Dussuyer:
The French person is in his second stint as manager of Guinea. Appointed for the second time in May 2010, he first managed the nation between 2002 and 2004, a job that was his first professional managerial position. Between these two stints he took charge at club side AS Cannes and African nation Benin. He knows how to manage Guinea and will be hoping to get into the quarter final stage.
Prediction - Group Stage.
Botswana:
Botswana complete group D and like two other teams in the 2012 edition it is their first ever appearance in the finals. They have no players that are familiar and the majority of the squad play in Botswana's own league. It will surely be too much to ask for them to finish in the groups top two but you never know.
Key Player – Dipsy Selolwane:
Selolwane plays his club football for South African team Supersport United and has played for various South African clubs. The Botswana forward has also played in America with Chicago Fire and had a stint playing in Denmark with Vejle BK. He has 39 Botswana caps and 9 goals and his experience of playing abroad may be crucial for his country in these African Cup Of Nations.
The Manager – Stanley Tshosane:
Tsoshane is the first permanent Botswana manager of the national side. He had caretaker spells in charge and was given the post full time for the first time in 2008. He has seen the nation qualify for the finals of this tournament for the first time and will be hoping to pick up at least a point at the finals.
Prediction – Group Stage.
The Africa Cup Of Nations promises to be an exciting and enthralling tournament when it kicks off later this month. Ivory Coast and Ghana are clearly the two favourites to win the tournament and quite right so too. They have quality players playing their football in top leagues all across Europe, if I were picking the team I believe will win I would say Ivory Coast, as long as their players perform and play to their capabilities. There are a couple of teams that could be outside bets and dark horses to win the tournament. I reckon Mali may do well in the tournament and Morocco could go quite far also. However my number one dark horse to watch would be Angola, hence why I have backed them at the bookies. They are exciting to watch and play an attacking style of football. They are a relatively talented bunch of players and have a few experienced players that could help the nation at the tournament, Watch out for Angola in the African Cup Of Nations 2012. Whoever wins the tournament promises to be a good one. It all kicks off on the 21st January.