Today 17 January begins the 30th edition of the African Nations Cup. Challenged the host country, Equatorial Guinea will open the competition at 17 hours against Congo in the city of Bata. Playoff excluded for having played an ineligible player and fished since Morocco has given up the tournament, this selection is among the sixteen teams competing in this CAN 2015. Overview.
GROUP A: BURKINA FASO WHEREAS
Surprising finalist in the previous edition, Burkina Faso, he will confirm the displayed potential there two? His Belgian coach Paul Put, is still based on the same elements: the defender Bakary Koné (Lyon), midfielder and captain Charles Kabore (Krasnodar, ex-OM), Alain Traoré (Lorient) or the Aristide attackers Bancé (Finnish D1) and Jonathan Pitroipa (D1 UAE, former Rennes), elected best player of the 2013 edition.
Stallions must dispose of a group which contains the host country, Equatorial Guinea, a priori, the weakest team in the group. To complicate things, the Equatorial Guinean selection sacked Spanish coach, Andoni Goikoetxea to replace Argentine Esteban Becker there just one month. For its first participation in 2012, already at home, however, she reached the quarterfinals.
Made up of players accustomed to low readings championships (Estonia, Malta, Hong Kong, Andorra), the local selection will play the opening match against Congo Claude Le Roy. African champion in 1988 with Cameroon, French is in his eighth CAN as a coach, a record. It already has just accomplished a feat in qualifying for the finals his Red Devils at the expense of Nigeria, the defending champion.
His players, including the Prince Oniangue environments (Reims) and Delvin Ndinga (Olympiakos, former Auxerre and Monaco) will égalemetn under threat of Gabon Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund). In the absence of Cameroonian Eto'o and Ivorian Drogba, Gabon center forward could also become the main offensive trigger the CAN 2015.
• GROUP B: TUNISIA HEAD POSTER
The most formidable formation of Group B, Tunisia fate of several major failures: eliminations in the 1st round in 2010 and 2013, the quarterfinals in 2012 ... Led by defender Aymen Abdennour (Monaco) and Wahbi Khazri environment (Bordeaux) the Carthage Eagles will try to break the jinx with the Belgian coach Georges Leekens, their tenth coach since 2008.
After a faultless performance in the playoffs, Tunisians will face this month to Zambia, winner of the 2012 edition also held in Equatorial Guinea. But this time, Zambians have lost their coach Herve Renard, who joined the Ivory Coast, and their emblematic captain of the time, Christopher Katongo, voted player of the tournament three years ago but dismissed in 2015 .
As for the Democratic Republic of Congo, it will have to capitalize on the success of its two biggest clubs, the Almighty Mazembe (quad African champion in 1967, 1968, 2009, 2010 and finalist in the Club World Cup in 2010) and aS Vita Club, finalist of the African Champions League in 2014. But the Leopards do not have access to the quarterfinals since 2006.
Cape Verde appears to be the weak link in the group. Two years after his first participation in the CAN, marked by a historic qualification for the quarter-finals, the Cape Verde selecting a low profile. His only lifeline is called Ryan Mendes often substitute striker in Lille.
GROUP C: ALGERIA PLACING ON GOURCUFF
African team in the best position in the FIFA rankings (18th), Algeria is also the one who made the strongest impression during 2014 World hustling extension until Germany on his world championship course in 8th finals . Now driven by the French Christian Gourcuff (former Lorient), it has two technical leaders: Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia) and Yacine Brahimi (Porto).
But before setting a second continental title after the 1990, it will be first to get out of this Pool C which is presented as the "group of death". Indeed, Ghana has successfully integrated the semis last four Africa Cup ... no title to the key. After a disappointing World (elimination at the group stage), the team of the Ayew brothers and Captain Asamoah Gyan eyeing a fifth title of African champion.
Senegal, him, should a rematch after his last two CAN (2008 and 2012) ended in fiascos in the first round. In office since early 2013 with the Lions of Teranga, the French Alain Giresse has chosen to snub the effective center forward Demba Ba (Besiktas), renewing its confidence in Moussa Sow (Fenerbahçe) and Papiss Cissé (Newcastle ).
And South Africa? Qualified for the first time since 2008 (she was invited to act as an organizer in 2013), it has regained confidence through its probative qualifying campaign (no losses). The tragedy that hit the South African team in October - the murder of his goalkeeper and captain Senzo Meyiwa - also contributed to a form of sacred union.
GROUP: THE ORPHAN OF IVORY COAST DROGBA
Most eyes will be on the Ivorian Elephants, still feared in the African Cup, but now orphans their legendary center-forward Didier Drogba (Chelsea), who left the team after the World Cup 2014. The environment field Yaya Toure (Manchester City), sacred for the 4th time player of the year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will however very present.
Led by the French Hervé Renard, surprise winner with Zambia in 2012, the Ivorians will face in this particular Group D Mali, a semifinalist last two editions. That opponent coached by the Franco-Polish Henri Kasperczak can deplore the package striker Cheick Diabaté (Bordeaux), hit in the knee.
Cameroon has, he turned the years Samuel Eto'o (Everton). Quadruple champions of Africa but absent in 2012 and 2013, the Indomitable Lions have much to be forgiven after a World that turned into ridicule. Witness the humiliations against Brazil (4-1) and Croatia (4-0), let alone the head blow from Benoît Assou-Ekotto teammate Benjamin Moukandjo full game against the Croats ...
Faced with these three strongholds of African football, Guinea can not expect much. His presence in the quarterfinals would feel. The team of French Michel Dussuyer hope still provide some joy to the country hard hit by the Ebola virus. The FCA also relocated his last qualification matches in Morocco, where the National Syli also conducted its preparation.
KICK OFF OF AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS
ReplyDelete