African Cup of Nations preview: Ivorians in prime position

Africa Cup of Nations favourites Ivory Coast will enter the tournament looking to break a 20-year drought.

Led by captain Didier Drogba, Ivory Coast should go deep through the competition in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea as they search for their first success in the tournament since 1992.

In Group B alongside Sudan, Burkina Faso and Angola, Ivory Coast should have no trouble advancing to the quarter-finals.

Their biggest rivals for the trophy are likely to be Ghana and Senegal, with defending champions Egypt – who had won the competition three consecutive times – having failed to qualify.

Four-time champions Cameroon and two-time winners Nigeria are also not competing after missing out on a spot.

South Africa, the 2010 World Cup hosts, are another notable absentee after they wrongly assumed their goal difference would see them through Group G of qualifying, but Niger advanced instead.

Former Cameroon captain Rigobert Song believes the teams are so even that winning the tournament, which starts on Saturday, will be a big ask.

“Every country is good now so it will not be easy for any team to win,” Song told Ghana network Joy Sports.

“All these new countries in the tournament can cause a surprise and if that happens it will be good because we will know that African football is improving and not for a few countries.”

Along with Drogba, Ivory Coast have the talents of Manchester City pair Kolo and Yaya Toure, Galatasaray’s Emmanuel Eboue, Newcastle’s Cheick Tiote, Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou and Arsenal forward Gervinho.

Ghana are sure to provide a challenge, led by the likes of John Pantsil, John Mensah, Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan.

They have been drawn with Botswana, Mali and Guinea in Group D.

Senegal will meet Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Zambia in a Group A they should dominate with the attacking prowess of Newcastle pair Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse.

In Group C, Gabon, Niger, 1976 champions Morocco and Tunisia do battle.