Story by Anashe Murombedzi
FORMER champions Egypt and Ghana headline group B at the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations set to begin in Cote d’Ivoire next week.
It’s a week to go as the clock counts down to kick off the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire which runs from the 13th of this month till the 11th of February.
Group B comprises of record seven-time champions Egypt, four-time winners Ghana, Cape Verde and Mozambique.
The group is likely to be led by the seven-time champions who have gone on a 13-year drought and have been on the hunt for the cup since 2010.
The last edition finalists seem to be the favourites and serious title contenders having reached the final in two previous editions and are up for business.
The Pharaohs will likely look to Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny for inspiration.
Another main challenger, Ghana, who were back then a force to reckon with, head into the continental scene with high hopes to get back on track after an early elimination in the group stage of the 2021 edition.
The Black Stars target to present themselves in a better condition with former English Premier League manager Chris Hughton in charge.
The Irish’s charges will be led by skipper Andre Ayew, the son of legend Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew.
The four-time champions hope to get the groove back after last winning the AFCON in 1982 and in recent times they have been a pale shadow of themselves.
Since finishing as runners-up in 2015 the success in the national team had been critical.
Cape Verde are a surprise package and most of their players are based in Portugal.
The Blue Sharks are set to give what it takes to bring out a colourful performance after they ran riot against Burkina Faso in the qualifiers to earn a ticket to Cote d’Ivoire.
The last in the group are the Southern Africa’s representatives, Mozambique, who bounce back in the tournament after missing out in the past six competitions.
The Mambas return as the underdogs of the group as they make their fifth appearance since 2010 where they produced their best in the first round.
Going into the current business, group B opens with a match between Egypt and Mozambique billed for the 14th of this month, while on the same day, Ghana will face group outsiders Cape Verde.
On the 18th, there are mouth-watering clashes of the titans in Group A as Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria meet, while Group B will be highlighted by the Egypt versus Ghana match.
