Posted by [ad_1]
By Rob Stevens
Monday December 25, 2023
The 34th Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) gets under way in Ivory Coast on 13 January, with the final in Abidjan on 11 February.
Several
Premier League sides will be losing some star names, and Liverpool
forward Mohamed Salah will be extra-motivated to end his country’s
14-year wait for continental success.
BBC Sport Africa profiles six players who all have different reasons to make an impact at the tournament.
Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
Egypt
suffered double heartbreak at the hands of Senegal in 2022, first
losing the Nations Cup final to the Teranga Lions and then being denied a
place at the World Cup in Qatar by the West Africans too.
Both
those matches were settled by penalty shoot-outs – and Salah did not
even have the chance to take a spot-kick in the Afcon final as he was
held back to take a fifth kick which never came.
The most recent
of Egypt’s seven continental crowns came in 2010 and Salah will be
looking to go one better than he did in Gabon in 2017 and Cameroon last
year.
Salah has a glittering array of medals from his time with
Liverpool but the 31-year-old will be eager to add to his six goals from
three previous trips to the Nations Cup as he bids to fire the Pharaohs
to glory.
As influential as ever at Anfield this season, the
‘Egyptian King’ will skipper his side against Ghana, Cape Verde and
Mozambique in Group B.
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
After
missing the 2021 edition through a combination of Covid-19 and injury,
can the newly-crowned African Footballer of the Year inspire Nigeria to a
first title since 2013?
The 24-year-old has established himself
as one of Europe’s top strikers, finishing last season as top scorer in
Serie A as Napoli won a first Italian title since 1990.
Nigeria,
with Osimhen missing through injury, could only draw their 2026 World
Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe in November, and now he has
the chance to play an important role for his country at Afcon for the
first time.
The former Lille man was in the Super Eagles squad at
the 2019 finals, but only featured as a half-time substitute as Nigeria
won the third-placed play-off.
The West Africans are up against
hosts Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau in Group A and,
with rumours linking him with a move to the Premier League, is this the
time for Osimhen to truly announce himself on the senior international
stage?
Serhou Guirassy (Guinea)
The striker had a
blistering start to the new season with club side Stuttgart, firing in
15 goals in his first 10 outings in the German Bundesliga.
The
27-year-old former France youth international will be heading to Afcon
for the first time after making his Guinea debut in March 2022.
Holders
Senegal and continental heavyweights Cameroon provide tricky company
for Syli National in Group C, with second-time qualifiers The Gambia
rounding off the line-up.
Injuries in November halted his
momentum and Guinea will hope Guirassy has packed his shooting boots as
the West Africans look to reach the last 16.
Mohammed Kudus (Ghana)
Ghana
head to neighbouring Ivory Coast looking to avoid a repeat of their
group-stage exit at the 2021 Nations Cup, which included a shock 3-2
defeat by Comoros.
The Black Stars underwhelmed in their opening
two qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup – and lightning struck twice as
the West Africans fell to another loss against Comoros.
Kudus was
Ghana’s top scorer in qualifying for the Nations Cup, netting three
goals, and his influence for West Ham United has continued to grow since
his switch to the Premier League club in August.
After scoring
twice at the 2022 World Cup finals, can the 23-year-old forward help
Ghana return to the pinnacle of the African game despite a stern early
test against Egypt?
Issa Kabore (Burkina Faso)
The
attacking right-back was voted as the best young player at the 2021
finals, catching the eye as Burkina Faso reached the last four before
losing to eventual champions Senegal.
Kabore has been on the
books of Manchester City since joining from Belgian club Mechelen in
2020 but is still awaiting his debut for the reigning Premier League and
European champions.
After loan spells in France with Troyes and
Marseille, the 22-year-old is now getting a taste of the English top
flight with a Luton Town side who are battling relegation.
With
Burkina Faso facing Algeria, Mauritania and Angola in Group D, Kabore –
who already has over 30 international caps to his name – has another
opportunity on the continental stage to stake a claim for a place in Pep
Guardiola’s City squad next season.
Azzedine Ounahi (Morocco)
The
rangy midfielder’s impressive box-to-box-displays in Morocco’s
history-making run at the 2022 World Cup were a major factor in Ounahi
securing a move to French giants Marseille after the finals.
However,
a broken toe sustained on duty with the Atlas Lions in March ended his
season after just seven brief league outings for his new side.
The
23-year-old is working his way back to hitting the high notes he
reached in Qatar, and Ounahi did not feature in the North Africans’ sole
World Cup qualifier in November.
However, boss Walid Regragui
may well turn back to a man who was a key cog in reaching the World Cup
semi-finals as Morocco come up against DR Congo, Zambia and Tanzania in
Group F.
[ad_2]