E’Guinea 2015 begins: African stars battle for victory

The 30th Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Saturday with hosts Equatorial Guinea taking on Congo in the opening match in Bata, the
country’s largest city.

Both teams are drawn in Group A alongside South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations finalists Burkina Faso and Gabon, who face each other in the second group encounter later in the day at the same venue, in the 16-nation tournament.

Other teams are 1968, 1974 champions DR Congo; 1972 champions Congo; 1984, 1988,
2000, 2002 champions Cameroon; 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982 champions Ghana; 1990 champions
Algeria; 1992 champions Ivory Coast; 1996 champions South Africa; 2004 winners Tunisia;
and 2012 champions Zambia.

The rest are Cape Verde, Gabon, 2002 runners-up Senegal; 1976 runners-up Guinea; and 1972
runners-up Mali.

Although defending champions Nigeria and record seven-time champions Egypt are
missing from the continental party, the tournament still commands a huge amount of attention across the world following the glittering
array of stars who will be on parade.
Despite the retirement of superstar Didier Drogba, Ivory Coast boast a side capable of firing the Elephants to the title.

The Elephants manager Herve Renard has has at his disposal four-time African Player of the Year
Manchester City’s Yaya Toure, Wilfried Bony, who completed his reported £28m transfer from Swansea to Manchester City on Wednesday,

Roma’s Gervinho, Newcastle enforcer Cheick Tiote, PSG’s Serge Aurier and veteran Liverpool
defender Kolo Toure.

Borussia Dortmund forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is Gabon’s biggest player but Les Panthères (The Panthers) coach Jorge Costa will rely on Nice defender Lloyd Palun and Celta Vigo midfielder Levy Madinda as he looks to make an
impact in Equatorial Guinea.

Other stars who will be on parade are United Arab Emirates-based Asamoah Gyan (Ghana),
Papiss Cisse (Senegal), Porto’s Yacine Brahimi (Algeria), Sporting Lisbon’s Islam Slimani (Algeria), Ajax Capet Town’s Rivaldo Coetzee
(South Africa), Sibusiso Vilakazi (South Africa)
and Sevilla’s Stephane Mbia (Cameroon).

The rest are Monaco’s Aymen Abdennour (Tunisia), West Brom midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu (DR Congo), Crystal Palace forward
Yannick Bolasie (DR Congo), Valencia defender
Sofiane Feghouli (Algeria), Parma’s Afriyie Acquah (Ghana) and Marseille defender Nicolas N’Koulou (Cameroon).

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