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The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/mikears3349 on 2024-01-09 15:46:11.
Group A
Match Schedule:
13 January 20:00 GMT : Ivory Coast - Guinea Bissau (Stade Alassane Ouattara)
14 January 14:00 GMT : Nigeria - Equatorial Guinea (Stade Alassane Ouattara)
18 January 14:00 GMT : Equatorial Guinea - Guinea Bissau (Stade Alassane Ouattara)
18 January 17:00 GMT: Ivory Coast - Nigeria (Stade Alassane Ouattara)
22 January 17:00 GMT : Equatorial Guinea - Ivory Coast (Stade Alassane Ouattara)
22 January 17:00 GMT : Guinea Bissau - Nigeria (Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny)
Ivory Coast:
Nickname: Les Éléphants (The Elephants)
Association: Fédération Ivoirienne de Football (FIF)
Best AFCON finish: Winners (1992, 2015)
Most caps: Didier Zokora (123)
Most goals: Dider Drogba (65)
Captain: Serge Aurier
Coach: Jean-Louis Gasset
FIFA rank: 49
While there is an acceptance that this Ivorian team has not hit the heights of the golden generation in the late 2000s and early 2010s, there is a quiet optimism among fans and the local media that the trophy will remain in Abidjan by the end of the tournament. The hosts of the tournament have one of the strongest African squads on paper, and since the summer of 2022 have been managed by experienced French coach Jean-Louis Gasset, who has been working on building a stable tactical setup to get the best out of the plentiful talent at his disposal. A 4-0 away defeat to Zambia in June was a notable low point, but Les Éléphants looked very comfortable in their other ‘qualifying’ matches, and promising October friendly performances against Morocco and South Africa, as well as a strong start to World Cup qualification (including a 9-0 defeat of Seychelles) provide further confidence to Ivorian supporters.
Predicted starting 11 (4-3-3):
Yahia Fofana - Serge Aurier, Ousmane Diomande, Evan N’Dicka, Ghislain Konan - Ibrahim Sangaré, Franck Kessié, Seko Fofana - Christian Kouamé, Sébastien Haller, Jonathan Bamba
Players to watch:
Simon Adingra (21 yrs old, Winger):
With Wilfiried Zaha being dropped due to poor form and discipline with the national team, and Jonathan Bamba as well as Jeremie Boga often flattering to deceive, the young Brighton winger may be called upon by Gasset to make a difference for Les Éléphants if he can recover from his injury*.* The Right to Dream academy product has made a promising start to life in the Premier League, playing from both the right and left flank and demonstrating his pace, dribbling, and finishing ability. He has also impressed in his 4 caps with the national team, and this AFCON could be an opportunity for him to establish himself as a household name of African football.
Franck Kessié (27 yrs old, centre midfielder):
Alongside Serge Aurier and Max-Alain Gradel, Kessié is one of the leaders in the dressing room for Les Éléphants, having played for his country at every youth level and making his senior debut before he left the shores of the country for Italy. The former Atalanta, Milan and Barcelona midfielder has received some criticism for his form with the national team, particularly since his move to Saudi side Al-Ahli Jeddah. However, when in form his all-round physical and technical abilities, as well as penalty taking are an important asset to the team. He forms a potentially deadly Ivorian midfield trio alongside Ibrahim Sangare and Seko Fofana, who put aside his concerns to return to the national team.
Sebastian Haller (29 years old, Striker):
There is a wealth of forward talent in the Ivorian setup, however Gasset is likely to stick with the experienced Haller as his main number 9 for the tournament provided he is fit. The former French youth international is a fan favourite in Ivory Coast, and has done extremely well to overcome his testicular cancer diagnosis, returning to the national team in March. Despite his struggles at club level he has scored 4 goals in 6 games this year for Les Éléphants, and Ivorians will hope he can maintain that form during the tournament.
My Prediction:
I see Ivory Coast comfortably topping Group A, and I believe they will go on to win the tournament. There is a huge amount of talent that the Ivorians can call upon, and recent performances indicate the molding of that talent into a unit, with the midfield in particular being a major strength. Home advantage will also play a huge role for Les Éléphants, as the support of the fans could push them over the line in the often tight AFCON knockout stage.
Nigeria:
Credit to u/PM_ME_SOME_LUV
Nickname: The Super Eagles
Association: Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)
Best AFCON finish: Winners (1980, 1994, 2013)
Most caps: Ahmed Musa (108)
Most goals: Rashidi Yekini (37)
Captain: Ahmed Musa
Coach: Jose Peseiro
FIFA rank: 42
Confidence is generally low amongst Nigerians when it comes to our national team. After failing to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, losing almost every friendly in a 4 year period, and starting off 2026 World Cup qualifying with draws to Lesotho and Zimbabwe, not even the most optimistic Nigerian expects much from this tournament. Although they boast arguably the best strikeforce on the continent led by CAF Player of the Year Victor Osimhen, the rest of the squad leaves a lot to be desired. The midfield is very thin and lacks creativity, the defense has stagnated with many players being included without deserving it, and the goalkeeper situation is dire at best. Many people have sharp criticism for Jose Peseiro for his squad selection and lack of tactics, also wishing that we included more homegrown players as opposed to foreign-based players who don’t seem to care on the pitch.
*Predicted starting 11 (4-4-2): Nwabili; Sanusi, Bassey, Ajayi, Osayi-Samuel; Lookman, Iwobi, Ndidi*, Chukwueze; Iheanacho, Osimhen.*
If there’s one area with great squad depth for Nigeria, it’s at striker. Peseiro tends to play 2 strikers at once and Victor Osimhen is the focal point of this team. He also loves playing Alex Iwobi in a double-pivot. Ola Aina is capable of starting in either fullback spot, and Stanley Nwabili of Chippa United is heavily rumored to start over the struggling Francis Uzoho
*Wilfred Ndidi has been removed from the squad from injury, replaced in the squad by Alhassan Yusuf
Players to watch:
Victor Osimhen (25 yrs old, Striker):
The current CAF Player of the Year, Serie A champion & Footballer of the Year, and the top scorer in qualifying, Osimhen will be the most important player to the team. He’s Nigeria’s best striker and the team goes as far as he will take them. He’s missed a decent amount of games due to injury and personal reasons and the team can’t score without him. The Super Eagles are going to need a great tournament from their talisman.
Bright Osayi-Samuel (26 yrs old, Right-back):
Earning his first cap in November 2022, the Fenerbache fullback has been the best and most consistent defender for the Super Eagles. Excellent at tracking back and going forward, he has inserted himself into the starting lineup. Everyone will be keeping an eye on how his recent injury will effect him during the tournament.
Kelechi Iheanacho (27 yrs old, Second-Striker):
Although Nigeria has many options at striker, the best strike-partner for Osimhen tends to be Iheanacho. Affectionately known as “Seniorman”, he drops deep to connect midfield to attack and acts as a classic Number 10. He may be the most creative outlet for this team and is mainly expected to act as playmaker for our other attackers
My Prediction:
My honest prediction is that we get out of the group stage in unflattering fashion and promptly lose in the Round of 16. I was tempted to predict a group stage exit, having watched this team lose/draw to the likes of Lesotho, Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau, and Sierra Leonne (4-4 draw after being 4-0 up at home), but I believe this team has the capability of getting our hopes up before crashing out.
Guinea-Bissau:
Nickname: Os Djurtus (The Djurtus)
Association: Federação de Futebol da Guiné-Bissau (FFGB)
Best AFCON finish: Group Stage (2017, 2019, 2021)
Most caps: Jonas Mendes (56)
Most goals: Fernando ‘Nando’ Có (9)
Captain: Jonas Mendes
Coach: Baciro Candé
FIFA rank: 103
This will be Guinea Bissau’s 4th consecutive AFCON appearance, a testament to the work done by coach Baciro Candé since his appointment in 2016. Os Djurtus have a large diaspora to call upon (further scouted with the help of a British FM enthusiast), and had an impressive qualifying campaign for the tournament, finishing a comfortable second in their group and even defeating Nigeria in Abuja. Guinea-Bissau’s previous AFCON appearances all ended in group stage exits, however this edition may be the chance for the historical minnows to make a statement as a rising force in African football.
Predicted starting 11 (4-3-3):
Jonas Mendes - Houboulang Mendes, Edgar Ié, Opa Sangante, Fali Candé - Sori Mané, Alfa Semedo, Janio Bikel - Carlos Mané, Franculino Djú, Mama Baldé
Players to watch:
Franculino Djú (19 years old, striker):
Perhaps the most exciting talent to have recently declared for Guinea-Bissau, Franculino could have a major impact on his nation’s chances in Côte D’Ivoire. The Benfica youth graduate signed for Danish giants FC Midtjylland in the summer of 20…
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