This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/mikears3349 on 2024-01-10 15:46:42.
Group C
Match Schedule:
15 January 14:00 GMT : Senegal - Gambia (Stade Charles Konan Banny, Yamoussoukro)
15 January 17:00 GMT : Cameroon - Guinea (Stade Charles Konan Banny, Yamoussoukro)
19 January 17:00 GMT : Senegal - Cameroon (Stade Charles Konan Banny, Yamoussoukro)
19 January 20:00 GMT : Guinea - Gambia (Stade Charles Konan Banny, Yamoussoukro)
23 January 17:00 GMT : Guinea - Senegal (Stade Charles Konan Banny, Yamoussoukro)
23 January 17:00 GMT : Gambia - Cameroon (Stade de la Paix, Bouaké)
Senegal:
Nickname: Lions de la Teranga (Lions of Teranga)
Association: Fédération Sénégalaise de Football (FSF)
Best AFCON finish: Winners (2021)
Most caps: Idrissa Gueye (107)
Most goals: Sadio Mané (40)
Captain: Kalidou Koulibaly
Coach: Aliou Cissé
FIFA rank: 20
Under Aliou Cissé the Lions of Teranga have been a beacon of consistency, with the well oiled Senegalese machine breezing through qualification. The likes of Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Idrissa Gueye are still indispensable, while Moussa Niakhate and young midfield duo Pape Matar Sarr and Lamine Camara have also shown their quality. However, the buildup for their defense of their title in Ivory Coast has not been perfect. Key players Youssouf Sabaly, Idrissa Gueye, Nampalys Mendy and Boulaye Dia are all struggling with fitness issues, while the recent revelations that Aliou Cissé has been unpaired for 6 months will only further disrupt the camp.
Predicted starting 11 (4-3-3):
Edouard Mendy - Youssouf Sabaly, Kalidou Koulibaly, Moussa Niakhate, Ismail Jakobs - Nampalys Mendy, Idrissa Gueye, Pape Matar Sarr - Ismaïla Sarr, Nicolas Jackson, Sadio Mané
Players to watch
Sadio Mané (31, winger)
After tragically missing Senegal’s World Cup campaign, Mané will be determined to make an impact at this AFCON and further cement his amazing legacy. The former Liverpool star seems to be enjoying his new lease of life in Saudi Arabia, and for Senegal has has maintained his form, recently beating Henri Camara’s record and becoming the record scorer for the Lions of Teranga. Mane is undoubtedly still the main man for Senegal, especially given the struggles of Senegal’s other attackers this season.
Pape Matar Sarr (21, midfielder)
The Generation Foot product has enjoyed a whirlwind 2023, becoming an indisputable starter for both club and country. A dynamic midfielder key to Ange Postecoglu’s Spurs revival, Sarr has long been considered the future of Senegal alongside fellow former Generation Foot midfielder Lamine Camara, and this promise is now coming into fruition. On the bench for most of Senegal’s AFCON 2021 triumph, he will play a much bigger role this time around.
Nicolas Jackson (22, striker)
Jackson is another player who has had a rapid rise to prominence, as a strong run of form in the second half of the 2022-23 season with Villarreal convinced Chelsea to make him their number 9 for this season. This season has been more frustrating for him at club and national level, as he seems to have all the necessary attributes for a good striker except for consistently finishing his chances. However, given Boulaye Dia’s fitness concerns and the patchy form of Habib Diallo, Ismaïla Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye, this AFCON could be a chance for Jackson to step up next to Sadio Mané.
Predicted finish:
It is always difficult for a national team to defend their title, and since Egypt’s remarkable run from 2006-2010 no team has done so in the AFCON. Senegal have the ability to break that trend but fitness concerns in the midfield, lack of form for some key attackers, the sharpness of their ‘executives’ who have moved to the Gulf as well as a ‘group of death’ could all play against the Lions of Teranga. If Senegal are still able to top the group and make it pass the Round of 16, potential tests with Mali or consistent foes Algeria in the quarterfinals and Ivory Coast in the semifinals will prove very difficult, but the skill and know-how is there.
Cameroon :
Nickname: Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions)
Association: Fédération Camerounaise de Football (Fecafoot)
Best AFCON finish: Winners (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017)
Most caps: Rigobert Song (137)
Most goals: Samuel Eto’o (56)
Captain: Vincent Aboubakar
Coach: Rigobert Song
FIFA rank: 46
Cameroon are another giant who have fallen somewhat from glory, and though they may not be in full-blown crisis yet, such a situation may be brewing. Fecafoot president Samuel Eto’o (who has had several scandals in charge) is a staunch supporter of current coach and former teammate Rigobert Song, who had a strong start in charge of the Indomitable Lions by qualifying to the World Cup and enjoying a decent campaign in Qatar. However, Song has never really convinced tactically, and a home draw and away loss to Namibia in March put the 5 time winners in danger of failing to qualify. Cameroon would ultimately qualify after Burundi imploded in the September finale in Garoua, but an unconvincing start to World Cup qualification, injuries and disciplinary issues with key players, and a difficult group do little to raise confidence in the Cameroonian media.
Predicted starting 11 (3-4-3):
Fabrice Ondoa - Jean-Charles Castelletto, Oumar Gonzalez, Christopher Wooh - Junior Tchamadeu, Yvan Neyou, Andre-Franck Zambo Anguissa, Darlin Yongwa - Georges-Kevin N’Koudou, Vincent Aboubakar, Karl Toko Ekambi
Players to watch
Vincent Aboubakar (31, Striker)
Cameroon’s captain and attacking talisman, Aboubakar only trails Roger Milla and Samuel Eto’o in terms of goal scored for the Indomitable Lions, and moments such as his acrobatic goal in the 2017 AFCON final, his nearly record equaling AFCON 2021 goal haul, and iconic World Cup 2022 have cemented his legacy in Cameroonian football history. Aboubakar has had a difficult 2023-24 season so far, with injury and disciplinary concerns even leading him to be removed from the Besiktas first team. With fellow star attackers Chupo-Moting and Mbeumo missing out, there will be even more pressure on Aboubakar to step up, but the native of the northern city of Garoua is more than capable of doing so.
André Onana (27, goalkeeper)
André Onana’s presence in the AFCON squad may be a bit of a surprise, after he hastily retired from international football after a bust-up with coach Rigobert Song during the last World Cup. However, he returned to the den for Cameroon’s crucial qualifying match against Burundi in September, citing his ‘unwavering love and attachment to my homeland’ and a need to ‘respond to the expectation and support of Cameroonians,’ despite ‘injustice and manipulation’. According to local sources the Manchester United star is still at odds with coach Song and Fecafoot head Samuel Eto’o, and his reintegration is at the request of the government. The recent announcement that Onana will stay with United until their match on 14 January, only hours prior to Cameroon’s opening game, only adds to a perplexing situation for one of the nation’s stars.
Andre-Franck Zambo Anguissa (28, midfielder)
A dynamic midfielder with excellent dribbling ability, Anguissa has been a mainstay for Cameroon since 2017, even recently captaining the side in the absence of Aboubakar. One of the key players in Napoli’s 2023 Serie A triumph, Anguissa is a true box-to-box midfielder, capable of both breaking up play and progressing his team further upfield. At times an underrated figure, this AFCON provides another opportunity for Anguissa to further stake his claim as one of the best on the continent.
Predicted finish
There is a lot of pressure on this Cameroonian side and the federation itself, and if the Indomitable Lions lose to Guinea in their first match (with Andre Onana set to be absent from the match), a disaster could unfold in Ivory Coast. Cameroon’s second match against Senegal will do them no favours and it could be a group stage exit for one of the giants of African football.
Guinea:
Nickname: Syli National (National Elephants)
Association: Fédération Guinéenne de Football, FGF
Best AFCON finish: Quarterfinals (2004, 2006, 2008, 2015)
Most caps: Pascal Feindouno (85)
Most goals: Ibrahima Kandia Diallo (33)
Captain: Naby Keïta
Coach: Kaba Diawara
FIFA rank: 80
Le Syli National are perhaps one of the most inconsistent teams in Africa, often threatening to break into the elite but never truly doing so. Coached since 2021 by French-born former international Kaba Diawara, Guinea have undoubted talent in their ranks, composed of players born in Europe and products of the prolific local league and academy system. A poor start to World Cup qualification has raised some doubts but if their star players click Guinea have the ability to go deep into the tournament, and will enjoy a large amount of fan support in the neighboring Ivory Coast.
Predicted starting 11 (4-3-3):
Ibrahim Koné - Antoine Conté, Saidou Sow, Mouctar Diakhaby, Issiaga Sylla - Amadou Diawara, Abdoulaye Touré, Seydouba Cissé - Aguibou Camara, Serhou Guirassy, Morgan Guilavogui
Players to watch
Naby Keïta (28, midfielder)
Perhaps one of the greatest ‘what-ifs’ in world football, Keita is a supremely talented midfielder, and looked to be the creative key to Liverpool’s creative puzzle when he signed from RB Leipzig. Since that day in 2018 injury and disciplinary issues have restricted him greatly at club level, however he has always been committed (at times …
Content cut off. Read original on old.reddit.com/…/africa_cup_of_nations_2023_previ…