Teams to watch out for at the African Cup

Posted January 13, 2015 10:00 pm

By GERALD IMRAY

FILE- In this file photo taken on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, Ivory Coast's national soccer team poses for a team picture before the start of their African Cup of Nations Group B match against Sudan at Malabo Stadium in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Back row, from left, are Yaya Toure, Igor Lolo, Souleymane Bamba, Salomon Kalou, Gervinho, Kolo Toure. Front row, from left, are Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso, Cheick Tiote, captain Didier Drogba, Siaka Tiene, and goalkeeper Boubacar Barry. After Morocco was stripped of hosting rights, the African Cup of Nations is back in the tiny Central African nation of Equatorial Guinea for the second time in three years. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File) The Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - For the first time in a long time, Ivory Coast isn't the pre-tournament favorite to win the African Cup of Nations.

Instead, Algeria is expected to win its first title since 1990 after being the continent's best performer at last year's World Cup.

Ivory Coast - now without Didier Drogba - still can't be written off, and Cameroon made a rapid recovery after a terrible World Cup to be surprisingly impressive in qualifying.

Here are some teams to watch out for at the 16-team African Cup in Equatorial Guinea, which starts this weekend:

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ALGERIA

Algeria took eventual champion Germany to extra time in the last 16 at the World Cup in Brazil, and won its first five games in qualifying for the Cup of Nations to underline its top ranking in Africa. A change in coach after the World Cup, when Christian Gourcuff replaced Vahid Halilhodzic, didn't affect the momentum.

Algeria's lightning-fast attacking game is based around the skilful trio of Yacine Brahimi, Sofiane Feghouli and Islam Slimani. To prove themselves, the Algerians must first deal with being drawn in the tournament's toughest group with Ghana, Senegal and South Africa.

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IVORY COAST

Ivory Coast goes to the African championship without retired striker Didier Drogba for the first time since 2002. So, more pressure falls on Manchester City midfielder and African player of the year Yaya Toure, who hasn't always lived up to his big reputation at the African Cup.

Ivory Coast's inability to win the title since its sole success in 1992 is becoming increasingly painful for a country rich in talent.

This time, the campaign will be directed by flamboyant French coach Herve Renard, who does know what it takes to lift the African Cup. He won as coach of unfancied Zambia in 2012, beating Ivory Coast in the final.

On the field, Toure will also be supported by in-form forwards Wilfried Bony and Gervinho.

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CAMEROON

Cameroon's miserable World Cup was immediately shrugged off as the four-time African champions emerged as a dangerous force again late last year. Cameroon's threat was epitomized by a powerful 4-1 qualifying win over Ivory Coast, which is in Cameroon's group again at the final tournament.

Like Drogba, Cameroon's leading striker, Samuel Eto'o, retired from international soccer after the World Cup. But a new goal-scoring threat has emerged in Vincent Aboubakar, and that may foster a more balanced team after Eto'o was so often the focus.

Cameroon supporters just hope the player bonus saga that spoiled their World Cup doesn't play out again at the African Cup.

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TUNISIA

The only other North African team at the tournament, Tunisia might fly under the radar as Algeria gets all the attention.

Solid in qualifying to win a tough group containing Senegal and Egypt, Tunisia has quietly moved up to No. 2 in the continental rankings. The players and Belgian coach Georges Leekens can also be positive about being picked in a group with Zambia, Cape Verde and Congo, simpler than the early challenges awaiting Algeria, Ivory Coast and Cameroon.

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SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa is perhaps the most positive it has been about the African Cup since it won in 1996 and made the final in 1998. Since then, Bafana Bafana has slid down the African football pecking order, and hasn't got past the quarterfinals in 15 years.

Coach Ephraim Mashaba breathed new life into the team when he took over last year, and South Africa was unbeaten and eliminated defending champion Nigeria in qualifying.

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CAPE VERDE

Every tournament needs an underdog and Cape Verde might be the big surprise of the African Cup - again.

In its debut in 2013, the small Atlantic Ocean island nation made the quarterfinals ahead of Morocco, and gave Ghana a scare in the knockout stage.

That breakthrough wasn't wasted and Cape Verde was the first team to guarantee its place at the 2015 tournament in Equatorial Guinea. Surprisingly, the team from a country of just 500,000 people is ranked No. 7 in Africa and in the top 40 in the world, above Cameroon, Nigeria and South Africa.

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Gerald Imray is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP

FILE-In this file photo taken on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, members of Equatorial Guinea's national soccer team participate in a training session at Malabo Stadium, a day ahead of their final Group B African Cup of Nations match against Zambia, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. Equatorial Guinea had two months to prepare to host the African Cup of Nations, making the colorful and sometimes chaotic continental soccer tournament even more unpredictable than usual this year. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell,File) The Associated Press

FILE-In this file photo taken on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, Southamptonâs Sadio Mane, right, breaks away from Arsenalâs Laurent Koscielny to score a goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Southampton and Arsenal at St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, England. There will be no Didier Drogba and no Samuel Etoâo. For the first time in more than a decade, both of Africaâs most celebrated players will be missing from the African Cup of Nations after retiring from international soccer. Itâs a chance for other players to make their mark at the continentâs top tournament. The question surrounding Sadio Mane is: will he play? Ruled out of the Cup of Nations with a leg injury by his English club Southampton, Senegal coach Alain Giresse has still picked Mane in his final squad in the hope that he will recover to play a part. Mane is a pivotal figure for a new-look Senegal team as an energetic midfielder with a habit of scoring valuable goals. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland, File) The Associated Press

FILE- In this file photo taken on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014, Porto's Vincent Aboubakar, right, from Cameroon, challenges Estoril's goalkeeper Pawel Kieszek, from Poland, during the Portuguese league soccer match between Estoril and Porto at the Antonio Coimbra da Mota stadium, in Estoril, Portugal. Cameroonâs miserable World Cup was immediately shrugged off as the four-time African champion emerged as a dangerous force again late last year. Cameroonâs threat was epitomized by a powerful 4-1 qualifying win over Ivory Coast, which is in Cameroonâs group again at the final tournament. Like Drogba, Cameroonâs leading striker Samuel Etoâo retired from internationals after the World Cup. But a new goal-scoring hero has emerged in 22-year-old Vincent Aboubakar. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco File) The Associated Press

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