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Africa Cup of Nations: Team-by-team guide

SoccerNews in General Soccer News 14 Jan 2015

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The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Saturday, here we look at the 16 teams that will be competing for the title in Equatorial Guinea.

GROUP A

Equatorial Guinea

Coach: Esteban Becker

Star Man: Juvenal (Santa Coloma) – The 35-year-old skipper’s presence will be key as the hosts seek to emulate the heroics of 2012, when they reached the quarter-finals

How They Qualified: After being disqualified from the tournament for fielding an ineligible player, Equatorial Guinea were named as replacement hosts following the decision to strip Morocco of the right to stage the competition

Best Performance: Quarter-finals (2012)

 

Burkina Faso

Coach: Paul Put

Star Man: Jonathan Pitroipa (Al-Jazira) – The winger was named player of the tournament in 2013 after scoring two goals as Burkina Faso finished runners-up to Nigeria

How They Qualified: Finished second in Group B behind Gabon

Best Performance: Runners-up (2013)

 

Gabon

Coach: Jorge Costa

Star Man: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) – With 14 goals in 38 caps for Gabon, Aubameyang has the quality to make the difference for the Group A contenders

How They Qualified: Finished first in Group B

Best Performance: Quarter-finals (1996, 2012)

 

Congo

Coach: Claude Le Roy

Star Man: Prince Oniangue (Reims) – The midfielder has been in fine form for Reims in Ligue 1 and will hope to have a similar impact for his country

How They Qualified: Finished second in Group A behind South Africa

Best Performance: Winners (1972)

 

GROUP B

Zambia

Coach: Honour Janza

Star Man: Emmanuel Mayuka (Southampton) – Scorer of three goals in their run to the title in 2012, the Southampton forward will be hoping to inspire Zambia to a second triumph in three years

How They Qualified: Finished second behind Cape Verde in Group F

Best Performance: Winners (2012)

 

Tunisia

Coach: Georges Leekens

Star Man: Aymen Abdennour (Monaco) – The central defender has gained UEFA Champions League experience while playing for Monaco this season and will be relied upon to keep things tight at the back

How They Qualified: Finished top of Group G

Best Performance: Winners (2004)

 

Cape Verde

Coach: Rui Aguas

Star Man: Ryan Mendes (Lille) – Mendes’ pace offers Cape Verde a potent attacking outlet and they will need all the help they can get in a group containing three former tournament winners

How They Qualified: Finished top of Group F

Best Performance: Quarter-finals (2013)

 

Democratic Republic of Congo

Coach: Florent Ibenge

Star Man: Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace) – Bolasie has impressed many in the Premier League with his lively wing play and will look to increase his rising stock on the international stage

How They Qualified: Reached the finals as the best-performing third-placed side after finishing behind Cameroon and the Ivory Coast in Group D

Best Performance: Winners (1968, 1974)

 

GROUP C

Ghana

Coach: Avram Grant

Star Man: Asamoah Gyan (Al-Ain) – Ghana’s captain has 45 goals in 86 caps. He will be expected to lead by example as Ghana look to go one better than their run to the semi-finals in 2013

How They Qualified: Finished top of Group E

Best Performance: Winners (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982)

 

Algeria

Coach: Christian Gourcuff

Star Man: Islam Slimani (Sporting Lisbon) – The imposing forward boasts an impressive strike rate at international level and will look to add to his tally

How They Qualified: Finished top of Group B

Best Performance: Winners (1990)

 

South Africa

Coach: Ephraim Mashaba

Star Man: Tokelo Rantie (Bournemouth) – Rantie scored twice in November’s draw with Nigeria in qualification and will be out to build on an impressive season with Bournemouth

How They Qualified: Finished top of Group A

Best Performance: Winners (1996)

 

Senegal

Coach: Alain Giresse

Star Man: Papiss Cisse (Newcastle United) – Cisse has rediscovered his scoring touch this season, netting nine Premier League goals

How They Qualified: Finished second behind Tunisia in Group G

Best Performance: Runners-up (2002)

 

GROUP D

Ivory Coast

Coach: Herve Renard

Star Man: Yaya Toure (Manchester City) – The midfield powerhouse should be the driving force for the Ivory Coast as they aim to atone for the disappointment of their group-stage exit at the World Cup

How They Qualified: Finished second in Group D behind Cameroon

Best Performance: Winners (1992)

 

Mali

Coach: Henryk Kasperczak

Star Man: Modibo Maiga (Metz) – Despite disappointing at West Ham, Maiga still has the physical presence and aerial ability to cause opposing defences plenty of problems

How They Qualified: Finished second in Group B behind Algeria

Best Performance: Runners-up (1972)

 

Cameroon

Coach: Volker Finke

Star Man: Vincent Aboubakar (Porto) – The 22-year-old has yet to really find form for Porto, but has the all-round talent to be a major force in the tournament

How They Qualified: Finished top of Group D

Best Performance: Winners (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002)

 

Guinea

Coach: Michel Dussuyer

Star Man: Mohamed Yattara (Lyon) – The 21-year-old Lyon forward has proven to be clinical in front of goal for his country and will hope to catch the eye in Group D

How They Qualified: Finished second in Group E behind Ghana

Best Performance: Runners-up (1976)

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