SPURS REALLY NEED TO BACK CONTE THIS MONTH
Cameroon: As the host nation, Cameroon will be favoured to capture a sixth title at the tournament that begins on January 9.
The Indomitable Lions were last victorious in 2017 when they beat record champions Egypt via a Vincent Aboubakar strike.
The home side has quality players in the form of Kari Toko-ekambi and Eric Maxim Choupo-moting and should be able to top the group.
They have the backing of their country’s all-time great, the legendary Samuel Eto’o who has repeatedly said he believes his countrymen ‘can win it’.
The Stallions of Burkina Faso will be cock-a-hoop having held their own against reigning champions Algeria in qualification matches for the World Cup.
Burkina Faso’s chances of progression past the group stage have been boosted by the availability of Aston Villa striker Bertrand Traore and Standard Liege’s Abdoul Fessal Tapsoba, both of whom have recovered from injuries.
AFRICA’S number one footballing nation for the past three years, Senegal go into the tournament as one of the favourites.
The Lions of Teranga have a strong squad with several top name players in Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, Paris Saint-germain midfielder Idrissa Gueye and Liverpool forward Sadio Mane.
Their plight is made easier by the fact they are in arguably the weakest group of the six.
Guinea have it all to do, the Syli Nationale having been instructed by the country’s junta leader Mamady Doumbouya that they must repay state-funded preparation costs if they do not return to Conakry with the trophy. No pressure then.
Malawi go to their third Afcon on the back of a poor World Cup qualifying campaign having finished bottom in their group.
Having last won the Afcon in 1976, Morocco have underperformed at national team level despite their clubs being among the best in the continent.
They are through to the play-off stage of the World Cup qualifying and should be confident of making it past the group stage in Cameroon.
The Atlas Lions’ coach, Bosnia and Herzegovina-born Vahid Halilhodzic, will no doubt encourage forwards Ayoub el Kaabi and Ryan Mmaee to repeat the scoring form shown in World Cup qualifying late last year.
Ghana’s Black Stars will be out to add a fifth title. They last wore the crown 40 years ago.
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey will be influential as should Leicester defender Daniel Amartey, with brothers Andre and Jordan Ayew sure to star en route to the knockout stages.
Gabon’s hopes of getting out of the group rest on the shoulders of Arsenal forward Pierre-emerick Aubameyang.
The Comoros, meanwhile, have done well to qualify for the tournament and they will be delighted to be at Africa’s ultimate football party.
THERE has been a clear improvement in the overall play of Tottenham Hotspur since the appointment of Antonio Conte as the club’s coach in November.
The club has gone from being directionless in the latter part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s run as manager to now being contenders for a top four finish this season.
In light of Spurs luck since the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino in 2019, there is no doubt that most fans of the club will take a top four finish as a big sign of progress.
The biggest sign of clear Spurs progress under Conte was seen in the club’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool recently. Conte’s style of play caused major problems for the Reds to such an extent that Jurgen Klopp’s star-studded side would have been the happier to have ended the 90 minutes with a point to their name.
However, the club’s recent 1-0 defeat to relegation candidates Watford proved that major reconstruction work is still required to re-transform the North London side into one of the best sides in England.
The result will have a big bearing in the top four race this season. Had Spurs won the game, they would have